Last Chance
by love at third sight
Summary: There are four people involved in this relationship. YukimuraOC, YanagiOC
1. the meeting

a/n: Credit for this story goes to **Neon Genesis**. She was the one who came up with the plot bunny. I just tweaked it around for a little bit.

Inspiration for this came from "The Truth About Forever". :)

* * *

><p><strong>Last Chance<strong>

1. _the meeting_

The day that Kasamatsu Haruka walked into the class of 3-1, she wanted to leave as soon as she saw the seating arrangements.

To the right of her was Yukimura Seiichi. She couldn't imagine a worse person to sit next to. Her back began to itch at the sight of the senior - as if she was instantly allergic to Mr. Perfect or something.

Still. She took a breath, and hung her book bag on the hook attached to the left side of her desk.

He was reading a tennis magazine, his true blue eyes deeply immersed in an article. As always, his uniform was pristine and his wavy blue hair covered his ears, accentuating his good looks.

At the sound of her footsteps he looked up and recognized her. "Good morning, Kasamatsu-san." He gave her a polite smile.

"Good morning," she said, hoping she didn't sound bitter - or worse, stiff. She took her seat and after a few minutes, looked around to see who else was in her class...

... and found no one she knew. Joy.

Okay, so it was bad that all of her friends for her final year of high school weren't in her class. But did she _really_ have to sit next to some guy who was, like, perfect?

Part of her knew she was being sort of petty. After it wasn't his fault that he was a Tennis God and took his team to Nationals five times in a row.

And of course, let's not mention his stellar grades, enough admirers for him to have a legit reason for being absent on Valentines Day, and his dedication to the arts committee where his paintings always won first place because he was just obnoxious like that.

She scowled as a few girls came up to talk to chatter in excited tones to the blue haired boy next to her. Apparently looking like a girl also meant you would attract the same thing.

_I think this year is going to suck_, she thought to herself.

**-x-**

"She's number forty three of our class, part of the Music Club and participates in Student Council." Yanagi read him a short description. One of his eyebrow was raised. "Seichii, what's so interesting about her?"

"I'm sitting next to her in class." Yukimura said thoughtfully. "Her brother used to be the valedictorian until he graduated last year."

"I see," Yanagi said. It was definitely unusual for his captain to take any notice of most girls in the school - the few exceptions had been Yukimura's sister and her friends on the girl's tennis team. But they, at least, were rational people and would not willingly distract Yukimura from normal practice after school.

"But anyways..." Yukimura frowned for a moment, remembering Kasamatsu's tense stance at the time where he had greeted her that morning. "... She seemed to dislike me. Or something like that."

"Maybe you're reading too much into this."

"I might have," Yukimura conceded with a tiny little sigh that anyone else than Renji would have dismissed as regal exasperation. "See any freshmen with potential, Renji?"

They were sitting at the tennis court bleachers in their tennis jerseys while Marui and Jackal were busy handing out club slips for the incoming freshmen.

"I doubt it. There is an eighty percent chance that a half a month later, they'll quit."

"I would have imagined so, considering our training regimen..."

**-x-**

What mostly bothered Haruka about him was his ways of pushing around a person. Yukimura wasn't the sort that outwardly threatened people to do something - but if he insinuated it, there was no other possibility than following his command. He wasn't manipulative, but he had a certain look, sometimes, that made her feel as if the people he were talking to were beneath his notice. Like he was _above_ other people.

It sounded stupid in her head. As soon as she tried justifying why she instinctively disliked Yukimura Seiichi, it sounded terribly childish and stupid. So at that, Haruka tried to forget about it and then looked at the sky.

The April weather in the Kanagawa prefecture was promising to be rainy and cold. She hummed an energetic little tune - the third movement of Brahm's Symphony No. 4 - which also happened to be her audition cut to a chair test later that week. She had to get home quickly so that she'd be on time for a lesson. She covered her head with her book bag and walked out of the school entrance gates.

Haruka hadn't noticed, but Yukimura had been hiding under a black umbrella, quietly smiling after he'd recognized the quirky, slightly out of tune arrangement of his favorite piece.

**-x-**

"Good morning, Kasamatsu-san," he addressed her the next day.

"Good morning," she said, barely meeting his eyes. She took her seat next to him.

"Wasn't the weather awful yesterday?"

"It was."

And, out of the blue -

"Do you like classical music?" he said in his soft voice, almost feminine.

She glanced at him for a second, and then took out her notebooks. "Yes... What of it?" she asked, and her voice came out sharper than she intended.

Yet Yukimura's cheerful expression didn't falter at all. "Oh, nothing. I just thought it was interesting."

One of Haruka's eyebrows were raised. "You don't seem to be the type to be interested in classical music."

At this he could have informed her that his parents had been worried that his intense focus on tennis would be unhealthy. As a result, he'd taken up gardening and painting as side-projects, which then grew into a deep appreciation for nature and arts. Later, this evolved into a love of classical music.

The first piece of music he listened to after the doctors dropped the bombshell that he might be unable to play tennis was the finale of Shostakovitch's Symphony No. 5. It'd become one of his favorites after he was deeply upset. It was loud - and chaotic.

Looking at Haruka, he was thinking about this, but he didn't tell her about it. He only smiled and said, "I suppose not."

The bell rung, ending the short conversation.

The thing with Yukimura Seiichi was that he instinctively knew when a person kept their guards up. He'd gotten the feeling that she'd open up someday, but not now.

As for Haruka, she'd resisted the urge to scratch her neck. Annoyance flowed through her. She'd thought he'd been smirking at her for some reason.

-x-

Haruka had countless friends who'd been declined (politely, of course) by the likes of Yukimura Seiichi. Which was fine; understandable really. He had commitments, like taking the tennis team all the way to Nationals. He also was in the arts committee and the horticulture club, where his charismatic personality made him the undisputed leader in those groups. These were commitments which demanded his time and attention, not ones where you could simply push away to make room for a girlfriend.

But to her friends, he was charming. He was intelligent. He was respectful towards everybody. He was good looking, with a pretty face and a smile that could melt even the coldest heart. They liked the idea of dating a beautiful boy who seemed to be perfect in every way. But with every confession that inevitably happened each year, he would always say _No, I'm sorry. I don't deserve your feelings_.

"They're trained like dogs to a faithful master," her friend commented once, and two were sitting on the lunch rooftop a month later, watching the tennis courts in action. She was referring to the tennis team and how they looked up to Yukimura. His jersey was resting on his shoulders and even Haruka had to admit Yukimura looked rather intimidating from a distance. Sanada was barking out commands to the non-regulars.

"He's just a _guy_," Haruka mumbled. "Why is everyone in love with him?"

"Oh I don't know," her friend said with a cheeky grin. "Maybe it's because he's too good to be true."

"Maybe he's not that good. He could be like, I don't know, a serial killer or something."

"A _good looking_ serial killer," her friend pointed out with a giggle. "_Sa-woon_," she said, a hand on her forehead, and Haruka had to smile at her friend's antics.

"So what's your problem with him, anyways?"

"I don't know," Haruka shrugged. "I just... The whole worshiping him just because he's won a few National games is kind of stupid."

"But he's really nice and really hot and smart. How do you like, not be totally attracted to him?"

"He's too perfect," Haruka said. "I mean, _god_. There should be a limit to that kind of thing."

**-x-**

"We are sorry for the inconvenience, but this train has been delayed due to an accident..."

"Damn it," Haruka swore. Just when things couldn't get any better, they had to get worse. And her private lesson teacher - who happened to be a sixty-year old man that rarely smiled - would not look upon her tardiness kindly.

"That's not something a lady should say," someone remarked. She whipped her head around, and of _course_ it had to be Mr. Perfect standing behind her on that particular train compartment.

"What are _you_ doing here?" she shot back.

"On my way to a tennis club," Yukimura said lightly. He'd been in the middle of reading something, but he had put his book away once he saw Kasamatsu Haruka with a violin case on one hand and a folder presumably containing sheet music in another. "The weather's been terrible lately, so," and at this he shrugged. "I have to practice somewhere, and the best clubs are downtown."

He was dressed in his tennis uniform, bearing the yellow and black colors of Rikkaidai Fuzoku. She hated to admit it - but he looked pretty good in athletic clothes.

"What are you doing here?"

"Private lesson," Haruka mumbled. She gestured to her instrument case. "I play the violin."

"So I see," he said, his eyes lovely and so blue and looking so interested that she couldn't help looking at him. "What's the problem?"

"I'm late."

"Maybe you should talk to whoever you're meeting and drop him a quick call," Yukimura suggested.

"He doesn't take phone calls," she said flatly. "I might as well go home at this point."

"Why doesn't he take phone calls?"

"Because," she said with a puff of air blowing her bangs upward. "He's a perfectionist. He thinks that every lesson I'm attending is kind of a mini-concert. So basically, if I'm late even for a minute, then he'll close up on me. No exceptions."

"What I really hate about him though," Haruka continued, "is the fact that everything has to be perfect. I mean, that's so _boring_."

"Boring, you say?"

"Yeah," she said defensively, as if he was refuting the validity of her words. "Boring."

"Striving for perfection isn't too bad, though," Yukimura said, and his eyes lingered on her scar that was noticeable on her eyebrow. "After all, the point of living is to make progress."

"Well." She glanced at her watch. "In the meantime of waiting for this stupid train to move, we could play a game. You know. If you really wanted to know about my scar."

He was intrigued. "What kind of game?"

"Truth."

"What kind of game is that?"

She smiled. "Basically, in Truth, there's only one rule - you have to tell the truth."

"How do you win?"

Haruka almost snorted out loud. "That is _such_ a boy question."

"Well, it's a valid one."

"You win if there's a question I can't answer. Simple."

Yukimura thought about it, and then he said, "That's got to be too easy."

"Well, that's why you have to ask hard questions."

"Okay. I'll play. Ask me a question."

Haruka thought about it. "What's your favorite color?"

Yukimura frowned. "Don't coddle me. Ask me a harder question."

"Okay... What's your biggest fear?" Haruka had asked this question without really thinking about it. But Yukimura Seiichi took it seriously, as if the teacher had asked him a question in class and he was expected to answer it to the best of his ability.

"Not being able to move," he said after a few moments. Haruka looked at him curiously. "I used to have the Guillain-Barre syndrome. It paralyzed me to the point of not being able to walk. It was the scariest thing in the world, not being able to move your own body."

She didn't know.

"So," Yukimura continued, after she said nothing to respond, "What's up with your scar?"

"My brother hit me with a shovel," she said. When he raised his eyebrow, she elaborated, "I was twelve when it happened. It was like, snowing, and we were fighting over who got to shovel the snow out of the driveway. So my brother accidentally struck my head with the metal part, and it gushed out blood. My mom freaked out."

He smiled. "I see."

"My turn," Haruka said. "What's it like to have girls swooning over you?"

Yukimura sighed. "I don't know."

"The name of the game," Haruka clarified, "is _Truth_. See that lady next to you? She's been ogling you this entire time."

He gave her an annoyed glance. "Fine. The truth is, I don't like it. Because ninety percent of the time, I don't even know their names or what they're like in real life. So whenever they try to confess to me, I keep thinking about all the reasons why it wouldn't work out."

Whatever the answer Haruka had been expecting, it wasn't this. "I'd thought it was because you didn't have time to date," she said.

"Nah, not really. It's just... " Yukimura paused for a moment, deciding on the right words. "... I already have a girlfriend. So accepting their confessions would be out of the question, don't you think?"

Oh. Of course a guy like him had a girlfriend, Haruka reminded herself, and decided she wasn't disappointed at all. Nope.

Then he asked, "Why do you hate perfection?"

"I don't."

"But you hate your private lesson teacher for being perfect."

"That's different," Haruka said. She thought about it. "I don't hate perfection. I just don't - you know, seek it out purposely."

"Really."

"Yes, really."

"Oh," Yukimura said. "Well, that's too bad."

She had to admit his eyes were expressive. In certain moments they could show twinkling amusement, and in another they could slice through metal, harsh and unyielding. She wasn't sure what to make out of it.

Now they were looking at each other, and Haruka had no idea why she was certain that Yukimura Seiichi was being honest with her. Certainly, in the game of Truth there were bound to be moments of omitting certain unpleasant memories. But with one look, and she could tell every word he'd uttered was admitted comfortably, and what was even weirder, he was being genuine about it. Not show-offy or anything.

He must really like winning, she mused. So she asked him another question. "So, now that we're on the subject of perfection... What's it like for you?"

"I wouldn't know."

"Oh, come on. You're like, the Child of God and captain of the tennis team. You're the guy who's got the looks, athleticism, and everything - "

"And you're just the cool, opinionated girl who's got a scar on her eyebrow." he interrupted with a wicked grin on his face. "The whole package, right?"

"You're the boy all the girls want to take home to their parents," Haruka retorted.

"And you're probably the girl in homeroom who never gives a guy the time of day."

"I am _not_," she said, and it irked her that she was picking a stupid fight with Mr. Perfect in broad daylight. It wasn't fair that he always had the final word.

He chuckled, and she hadn't ever noticed how beautiful that sound was. It was warm. Rich. And genuine. She scowled at him, but it only seemed to encourage him to smile wider.

"So, does a girl like you have a boyfriend?"

"Me? No. Why would you ask that?"

"I thought girls were self-conscious of that kind of thing. You know, since this is a game of Truth. And all."

"Oh, I forget. You want to win."

His smile was warm. "Of course. Winning is my forte. So go on, think of a hard question."

"What's your girlfriend like?" Not that Haruka actually cared, because she didn't. But she thought that maybe it'd be too personal of a question.

It wasn't. "Sweet. Nice. Kind of insecure, actually, when I think about it. We met at a tennis tournament."

"Oh."

"What were you expecting?"

"Some supermodel who happened to be a total genius on the tennis courts," Haruka said, which was not too far from the truth. A Mrs. Perfect to complement Mr. Perfect.

"Just because someone shares interests with you doesn't mean they're compatible with you," Yukimura said, shrugging. "I mean, I'm just as fine dating someone who hasn't been playing tennis at all. It's just an aspect of who I am. Tennis isn't the _whole_ of me, you know?"

She considered it. "I wouldn't know. I don't think I could date a guy who couldn't tell the difference between Shostokovich and Tchaikovsky."

"Technically, they're not that different. Maybe they've composed in different time periods, but they're both very Russian. And they both fought against the political regimes of their day."

"So you play tennis, garden, paint, and listen to classical music. What else do you do?"

"Homework?" Yukimura suggested. "Sleep? Eat? Run?"

She made a face. "You know what I mean."

The train started moving, and Haruka was surprised to find out that the time had gone by so quickly. For some reason, she had really liked talking to Yukimura Seiichi, who seemed to be humble and actually not that condescending.

"Well, I hate to leave this game unfinished, but this is my stop," Yukimura said pleasantly. "It was nice talking to you, Kasamatsu-san."

"We can continue it later, Yukimura-san. You too."

He smiled at her, and then got off the train.

It was weird. For once, he'd been the kind of guy she would have personally wanted to go on a da-

She refused to finish that sentence. After all, he had a girlfriend.

* * *

><p>an**: **So like, I decided not going to be a one-shot simply 'cause I want more reviews. ;) haha.

**So please tell me what you think of the story. C:  
><strong>


	2. the rules

**a/n**: So, what I've mostly noticed about Yukimura Seiichi is this - HE HAS TOTAL BEDROOM EYES. they are, to put it bluntly, the sexiest part of his character.

For example, in the Nationals OVA where he plays Echizen, he's got these really awesome facial features that clearly say, "I am going to rape you in this game of tennis whether you're ready for me or not". (Since I hate Seigaku in general I will say this: The Child of God should have won. I mean, for fuck's sake Yukimura went through so much pain, rehab, and surgery. How does Ryoma win? Oh, by having fun at tennis? Yeah OK like that overcomes obstacles, right?)

Mucho gracias to the people who reviewed me, especially to **Everlude**. I've tried my best to improve the quality of this story. :)

* * *

><p><strong>Last Chance<strong>

2. _rules_

**-x-**

Kasamatsu Haruka was exactly one hundred and sixty centimeters tall. Brown hair, brown eyes that could express liquid happiness or scorching anger, depending on the situation. In addition to having a scar on her eyebrow, she had a crooked nose. In sixth grade she participated in a game of dodgeball where somebody had thrown a ball a tad too strong and knocked her out. When she'd woken up, she'd found a nose splint in the center of her face.

While some people thought her face interesting and possibly even pretty on several occasions, she couldn't help but protectively touch the bridge of her nose, like it was a token of shame. She hated her nose. But, like everything bad that had happened to her, she took it calmly as it was an inevitable part of life. If her nose happened to be crooked, well, so be it. If her brother ran away from home after being pressured by her parents to enroll into a prestigious university, so be it. It wasn't up to her to protest against the rules.

Rules. She hated them. Not that she didn't abide by them, but she hated them anyway.

**-x-**

Yukimura Seiichi was one hundred and seventy five centimeters. He had different forms and shapes, depending on the situation. When he was with the Three Demons, he emerged as a brilliant commander, a person to be looked up to for direction and guidance. On the court, he was frightening; a prodigy, a genius, a Child of God. In the hospital, he had the mental resolve of a soldier and the kindness of a nun. For a person who possessed so much strength, it was surprising to all that he could still play with innocent children who had yet to understand the rules of life.

He had built his own family with his own talents. The Rikkaidai tennis team had been composed of the most talented players, carefully aligned, studied, and dissected to attain results. Yukimura would not settle for anything less than perfection and complete domination when it came to tennis. This was the Law of Rikkaidai: to win, and _only_ win.

Rules. It was his way of life, perfectly assembled in a straight line. To his thinking, rules were the only way to properly maximize one's potential.

* * *

><p><strong>-x-<strong>

Haruka had been sitting in a meadow, her elbows resting on the fresh green grass. In her lucid dreams, it always went like this - her favorite place, her favorite person. A short conversation would commence.

"Onii-san, I met someone who was perfect today."

"Is that so?"

"Uh-huh. He reminds me of you."

"How?"

Haruka tilted her head, thinking for a while. "He's just as nice as everyone's said. He's dedicated and he's modest and he's not afraid of _anybody_."

Her brother laughed. "I'll have to meet him sometime."

"When? You never come home."

"I will, sometime. But not now. I don't want to come home right now."

Haruka's eyes were deep and sad. "Mom and Dad - "

"I've missed you sideways, Haruka." Her brother was gentle, cupping her chin with his hand. "But it's time for you to wake up."

**-x-**

Lunch break. Time to eat. Or initiate a conversation, which was what Haruka had intended to do that afternoon.

"You just look like my imaginary friend when I had when I was a kid. Only older, you know?"

Haruka didn't know why she'd just said that to Yukimura Seiichi. Never mind that she was too old for imaginary friends - she had plenty of real ones, anyway - or the fact that the imaginary friend she had when she was young had lopsided ears and a monkey-like tail. It was a sort of test, to match up whether her personality was really compatible with his.

No, what couldn't be argued was that Yukimura was most definitely a human, and while he seemed polite and friendly, there was no denying that he preferred the company of a very select few. To her, Yukimura was a puzzle that she couldn't exactly figure out. And it was curious, because for most people Haruka could bounce off a few words and see if they matched up to her. It was how she made friends, whether it was in the convenience store or school or her little chamber music sessions.

He gave her a cool look, but with a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Maybe I am."

Haruka smiled happily. It'd been the perfect response - playing along, but not fully committing. Interesting.

"It's all hazy, anyways. I think I grew out of him when I was twelve."

"Must have been an interesting fellow."

"He was," Haruka agreed. "He was pretty intense though. We'd never really agreed on what games to play."

"Huh..."

Lunch break had found the two of them eating by themselves. It had been mere coincidence that Yanagi had been off to the Science committee. Sanada, unfortunately, had been spending more time in the company of a rather spirited _fille_, and thus could not spend more time with his captain than attending practice. Rather than look for Niou or even Kirihara, which he was sure was in his sister's homeroom class, Yukimura had decided he would save his energy later, and would eat lunch by himself.

As for Haruka, her friends had flocked off somewhere, ostensibly to ogle at cute boys at the tennis courts. Or was it the soccer team? She'd forgotten an hour ago.

"Incidentally, did you have any quirky childhood memories?"

"Not really. I remember discovering tennis, but other than that... no."

She bit into a carrot with her strong, sharp teeth. "I bet that was fun."

"It was. My parents were hysterical. They thought I'd been kidnapped while I spent all day at the tennis courts."

The thought of little Yukimura chasing after a yellow tennis ball was amusing. Haruka crunched on another carrot stick, and wondered what would happen if her friends saw her right now, actually having a decent conversation with the boy they'd been dreaming about for ages.

"I played tennis once. My friend hit me in the knee."

"That's too bad. Tennis is a lot of fun."

She'd probably think it was fun, too, if she won all the time. But Haruka had never been an athlete - she probably wouldn't stand for any more physical education than walking from her apartment first thing in the morning to Rikkaidai Fuzoku.

"So what's it like to be really good at tennis?"

"I wouldn't know," Yukimura said modestly.

"... You're not being humble just because I complimented you, right?"

"Well, _truthfully_," he said, "I'm always looking for better players."

"Oh, so you're saying you're the best."

His smile was remarkably charming, acknowledging her insinuation of his arrogance. "Simply because I choose to say that I would like to challenge more formidable opponents doesn't imply that I think I'm the best, Kasamatsu-san."

The conversation halted to a gentle stop when another classmate asked for Yukimura, requesting him to do something. Haruka watched his back turning away from her and out of the classroom, remembering every word she'd had the luck to exchange with him. She bit into another carrot stick, relishing the crunch and snap of the vegetable.

In the end, Haruka had more questions for Yukimura than she had in the first place. He was like a knot that became more convoluted the more she tried to untie it.

(She couldn't tell if that was supposed to be incredibly alluring or incredibly frustrating.)

**-x-**

_Heard you talked to Yukimura yesterday._

He's the guy who sits next to me, what'd you expect?

_So? Do you not concede he is the most perfect, most brilliant and charming guy in school?_

No.

_Haruka, you're in denial._

About what?

_God, are you clueless? This is your perfect chance!_

What, to date him? No way.

_Lots of girls would give up their eye and tooth just to be in your position._

Well, I'm not most girls.

_He just smiled at you. Look, he's staring at you now!_

God, get off my back. I'm not obsessed with him, _okay_?

_You're blushing._

Am not.

_Are too! I can always tell._

I'm _not_ blushing, and I don't even _think_ of Yukimura-san in that way. Stop saying that.

_Still... you guys would look good together._

I don't even like him.

_You talked to him._

He's got a girlfriend. Jeez.

_What, are you jealous?_

No, no, and _**no**_.

**-x-**

"Would you like to order something?"

"Uh... One iced coffee, please." Haruka said. "And... get a slice of red velvet cake for her," she pointed at her friend, who seemed too busy craning her neck outside of their booth to pay attention to the waitress. It was all her fault.

"Of course. Please wait a few minutes."

Her friend told Haruka she had witnessed with her own two eyes a pretty girl walk into a nearby cafe with Yukimura, and to boot wearing a Hyotei uniform too! So naturally -

"_We have to follow them, Haruka._"

Haruka wasn't okay with this. But after a little bit of cajoling, Haruka had figured that she might as well stop for a short snack before going home. It wasn't because she was interested in checking out Yukimura's girlfriend or anything. That was more her friend's department.

"Okay, thank you. Please wait a few minutes."

Haruka kicked her friend under the table. "Oi! Stop glaring at them! You're making it obvious!"

"But it's not _fair_," her friend whined, rubbing her injured knee with a wince. "She's really pretty. And she looks so freaking _sophisticated_ it makes me want to puke."

"She" being the supposed girlfriend of Yukimura. Naturally, her friend just had to follow the two into a cafe, dragging Haruka along just because Haruka happened to be there at the right moment.

Haruka gave a quick glance at Yukimura's table, who was chatting amiably with a girl who was dressed in a tailored blazer, blouse, cute skirt, and a tie. It seemed too posh for a casual environment, but if she was conscious of this, she didn't seem to be. She had golden, intelligent eyes that spoke of a slightly bored disposition, an easy smile, and Haruka had to admit her friend was right. She _was_ pretty, with the right clothes and her sleek hair which was twisted in an elegant bun.

And Yukimura was talking to her as if he was unaware of the two possibly insane teenage girls who were trying to eavesdrop on their conversation. Which was a good sign.

"One order of iced coffee and cake, coming up."

"Thank you," Haruka said politely, and pushed the confection towards her friend. She took a sip, and was kind of surprised to find out it was... Really good. It was sweet enough to take the bitterness off your tongue, but not so overly sugary that you couldn't appreciate the subtle fragrances of the coffee bean. She'd have to come here more often.

She couldn't say she was disappointed. But the way Yukimura described his girlfriend ("_Sweet. Nice. Kind of insecure, actually, when I think about it. We met at a tennis tournament._") made her assume that she'd be... well, not as pretty as the model-esque figure who sat next to him. And she certainly didn't seem insecure, talking to Mr. Perfect like it was no big deal. Maybe it was the absence of all his fangirls, or the weather, or _something_.

Her friend tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey, I just like, took a picture of her to send to my friend. And guess what? Apparently she's a Nationals level tennis player - "

"Uh-huh," Haruka said, pretending not to be interested. She was poking the ice cubes in her coffee. Regardless of how many times she pushed them down with her straw, they kept bobbing back up to the surface.

"Yeah, and apparently, she goes to a really fancy private school. Looks, money, and talent - god, she's like, _perfect_ for him."

"As you'd suspect from the infamous Yukimura Seiichi," Haruka deadpanned. "So what's her name?"

"Nagase Kana. Man, she even has a nice name."

"Huh... "

"So, what do you think?"

"About what?"

"Nagase-san, of course!"

"She seems nice enough."

"And... ?"

"And nothing," Haruka finished. "We should go, before they see us."

Her friend was about to protest, but thought better of it. "Okay. Fine... You're probably right... Yukimura-sama wouldn't like that either..."

**-x-**

Yukimura looked at the mirror that had been dangling on the other side of the wall. Did they really think he couldn't notice the two Rikkaidai students exiting behind him?

The other girl was inconsequential, but he'd been surprised to notice Kasamatsu following after her. He didn't really expect someone like her to resort to stalking. Actually, now that he thought about it - he really needed to finish that game with her. He hated to leave things unfinished.

And anyway, she could form her own conclusions. For now.

Nagase caught his gaze and smirked. "Friends of yours?"

"Not really," he said and finished his glass of iced water. He'd been looking forward to meeting Nagase for a while - he'd heard rumors of how she pushed and shoved her way to the top of Hyotei's tennis system. She had contacted him via email, wishing to have a discussion about tennis. And he'd accepted.

So far, he'd been disappointed. Nagase Kana had no intentions of discussing anything but his sister. He'd deciphered her motives as soon as she made small talk leading up to the girl's team. For a captain, she seemed rather pathetic for not being able to find perfectly capable players in her own school - but he kept his judgments to himself.

"The tall one is pretty cute, though," she remarked. "She looks like she'd make a pretty good tennis player."

Yukimura almost had to laugh. "You mean Kasumatsu-san? I wouldn't think so."

"Ah, you never know. At Hyotei Gakuen you'd be kind of surprised."

"I'd probably guess the same... Atobe threw us for a loop in the Kantou Tournament last year. Small chat aside, what do you want?"

Nagase wasn't one to mince words. "To put it plainly, your sister. She's a damn good player. And I'm scouting for fresh talent."

"You can't have her. Rikkaidai's not _that_ generous, Nagase-san."

"But Hyotei might be a good fit for her."

"No, I don't really think so."

Nagase stirred her tea carefully with a spoon. "You know, we captains have to stick together."

"I know." _I've heard that one before_.

"And your sister could be captain of my team next year."

"I'd prefer her to wear black and yellow instead of white and blue."

"But it'd match her hair."

Yukimura stared at her. "...She's not _that_ vain. In case you've forgotten, Nagase-san, not all people resemble Atobe-san."

Nagase was unapologetic. "I suppose this means no?"

"No," Yukimura confirmed.

"You know, Yukimura-san, I appreciate that you took the time to see me." Nagase fiddled with an expensive ring on her finger. "I really do. But you should think over it before making your decision for Yukimura Shizuko. I could make her nurture her talent and take her to different heights. Surely the Child of God would understand."

He didn't like the insinuation.

"Rikkaidai Fuzoku has always been a league of champions, Nagase-san," Yukimura said coolly. "Our record stands on its own. As for my sister, I'm _quite_ sure she'd like to stay at Rikkaidai." He had a smile that dripped of condescension, yet Nagase could not acknowledge it as that would have been impolite.

But Nagase, similar to Atobe Keigo, only took this in stride as if it was not an obstacle at all to their plans. "Very well, Yukimura-san. I will have to talk to her on an individual basis in the future - she would make an excellent Singles player. Have a nice day."

She got up, still smiling, and paid for both of their drinks. Her heels clicked away smartly as she headed back to Hyotei.

It was interesting, Yukimura thought, how headstrong a woman could be.

* * *

><p><strong>SO YEAH, REVIEW GUYS. would really appreciate it.<strong>


	3. the game

**a/n**: So, I've edited the last chapter so that Haruka doesn't actually apologize, because I think that was a very weak part of my writing. Thank you for the people who have pointed this out to me.

Secondly, I'd like to point out that there will be **two original characters** in this chapter. If any of you readers have read my other work, "_a blooming flower_", you will instantly recognize Yukimura Shizuko, who has a cameo in this chapter.

**And finally, some questions I've gotten from a few reviewers** -

Q: _What does "I missed you sideways" mean?_

A: It's supposed to be ambiguous. As the story unfolds, it'll make more sense!

Q: _Who was Haruka talking to, when there were no quotation marks?_

A: It's internal (inside her head). Although it can also be ambiguous - a lot of people have assumed it's note-writing between her and her friend, but really, I hadn't thought about that possibility when I wrote it down. I liked the monologue so I kept it in the last chapter. :)

* * *

><p><strong>Last Chance<strong>

3. _the game  
><em>

**-x-**

Very few people knew that Kasamatsu Haruka was the actual founder of the Music Club in the connecting middle and high schools of Rikkaidai. Haruka was not only a talented musician in her own right, but also had her own way of attracting people to a cause she was passionate about. As a result, there were currently twenty active musicians - ten violins, five violists, four cellos, and a bassist. There had been a few pianists and a guest conductor, but mainly it had been a core group of musicians who didn't fit into the athletic clubs that Rikkaidai was famous for.

"Guess what, guys?" Haruka said cheerfully as she plonked her violin case on a folding chair, taking out a folder of music out of her backpack.

"What?"

"I landed us another gig - not money, but they promised us free tickets for a karaoke party."

Cheers of, "You rock, senpai!" and questions of "No way, for real?" followed.

"I'm serious!" Haruka said, and held up mentioned tickets. "So like, I'll be giving these bad boys out once we show up and play the first movement of the _Holberg Suite_ in front of them."

"How'd you get a hold of them?" a cellist asked, glancing at the tickets. "I thought the Yazawa place was totally booked up."

Haruka grinned. "One of the owner's best friend is getting married, and she was having a hard time trying to get those pretentious college graduates to play for her Western-style wedding. So I simply said, why not let us play? And of course I was wearing my uniform, and you _know_ how they're a sucker for that uniform - "

"So let me guess - she was _so_ grateful that she'd pay you anything," one of her colleagues suggested slyly.

"Well, obviously not money - the school has rules against that - but I figured the next best thing was to get a really, _really_ big karaoke room next Sunday. You know?"

A murmur of assent followed through the room. Refreshed with the promise of a reward, the students began rehearsal quickly, tuning their instruments.

Their teacher came in shortly, a cigarette dangling from his lips. An ashtray had been laid on his desk. He stubbed his cigarette promptly, then gruffly said, "Well, Kasamatsu, what do we have today?"

"I'd thought we could get started on the Holberg Suite."

"Ah... So it is. Well." He flipped through the orchestra score and licked a finger to flip the page, squinting to make out the notes on the paper. "We'll do a run through and then if we have time left over I'd like to do some sectional work."

Haruka smiled. Her favorite part of the day was only beginning.

**-x-**

"Hey, can I have a word with you?"

A girl, dressed in her yellow jersey with her wavy blue hair pulled in a messy ponytail, walked confidently up to the middle of the boy's tennis courts to ask Yukimura a question. At first glance, this was almost sacrilege. Yukimura never allowed females (especially the types that lingered to watch the regulars) near the courts, and to hear of one trespassing near his territory was almost unheard of.

But then again, this was the captain's sister. Go figure.

Her mouth was set into a hard line, and judging from her body language, he surmised that she wasn't pleased with something. He gave an internal sigh, and followed her, giving a significant glance at Yanagi and Sanada. They were to, in his place, supervise the first years who were busy practicing their forehands.

"Shizuko, can you make this quick? I've got a team to lead and I don't have time to - "

" - listen to my problems?" Shizuko finished for him, her arms crossed. "Onii-san, I'd like to know why you were talking with Hyotei's captain yesterday."

So she'd found out.

"It's none of your business," Yukimura said, not smiling.

Shizuko's eyes were blue and icy. "I don't need you to take care of me, Onii-san."

He had opened his mouth to object before she cut him off, saying, "Look. You could have told her to come to _me_, instead of you deciding what I really want."

"You can't be serious about Hyotei."

"So what if I am?"

She let this statement sink in, while Yukimura furiously answered back, "You can't go there."

"Oh, really?"

"_Yes_, really," Yukimura said. It was his opinion that Rikkaidai offered just as many choices as Hyotei did. That also included tennis. "What would your captain, Tanaka-san, and some of your teammates say if you transferred there before this year ends?"

"They'd support me," Shizuko said. "Unlike you."

His sister had a million and one ways to get under his skin. It wasn't the same with his friends; Yanagi was never one to point out things in such an obvious or direct method, and Sanada preferred not to deal with Yukimura when he was in a brooding mood. But his sister wasn't kind at all to his needs. She was quick to sever ties with him, eager to prove that she was somebody without him, not wanting to associated with him.

"Shizuko, don't be an idiot about this."

"Don't treat me like a child," she said, cold and silently furious. And with that last statement, she turned on her heel, her blue hair swishing behind her back, gradually easing into a steady jog to catch up to her teammates in the middle of their tennis practice.

Yukimura walked slowly back to his rightful place as the captain of the team, slumping into the bench. Sanada was preoccupied with correcting a boy's grip on his tennis racket. Yanagi, the most perceptive one on the team, picked up on this instantly and walked towards Yukimura.

"Something wrong, Seiichi?"

"I think my sister wants to transfer to Hyotei," Yukimura said, his hands clenched so tightly his knuckles were turning white. "Because of me, that is."

"Can't be," Yanagi said reasonably. "She seemed to prioritize her time quite well in Rikkaidai."

Yukimura didn't listen to him. "I think I'll play a game."

"I'll play with you, then. Genichirou can handle the rest of the activities for the day."

In the very private circle of the Three Demons, Yanagi Renji was the one who smoothed out conflicts, oversaw the team's relationships with each other and resolved tensions. His presence was just as important as Yukimura's or Sanada's, but it was more understated. Sanada was the foundation, the rock who held the team together. And of course, Yukimura was the leader, the undisputed captain who led the team towards victory, always striving for perfection. All three of them worked well together, which was really the secret to their success. It wasn't all based on pure skill, but rather a mutual comradeship uniting them into something greater.

Yukimura had realized a long time ago that he couldn't be dependent on himself to solve his problems, even if he wanted to.

He and Yanagi walked together towards an empty court, Yanagi quiet and Yukimura sighing. "I just... I just don't understand it. We've never been close, but I'm worried."

The data master nodded. "You're worried about what will happen to her after you graduate."

"Right," Yukimura said. "She's just so stubborn and - I don't know. I mean, I _know_ Sanada-kun cares for her deeply, but something could happen to her."

They walked towards the net. "Which?"

"Smooth," Yanagi said, and smiled a second later. "My serve."

It was uncanny how Yanagi always could predict his outcome whether it was a flip of a coin, winning at rock-paper-scissors, or his test scores. His predictions were deadly accurate. Perceptive as the wind, Yanagi always seemed cool and calm, looking at the world and its inhabitants and turning them over, if only to analyze them like a specimen under the microscope. This was why Yukimura liked to confide in Yanagi. The boy never judged without putting careful consideration and thought to the subject at hand, accepting Yukimura's insecurities with a token of seriousness that he found deeply gratifying.

"Say, Yanagi," Yukimura said conversationally, "I don't want to use the 'yips' on you, but I will if I have to."

"I assure you, Seiichi, that it would be no problem whatsoever if you decided to use that particular method."

The captain raised his eyebrow. "You are secretive as ever, Yanagi-kun. The last time I used it on Sanada, he felt compelled to use _Muga no Kyouchi_."

Yanagi served the tennis ball anyway. Yukimura smiled, amused, and ran lightly across the court, easily returning it with a grace that masked the hours of practice he'd put into his technique.

**-x-**

Haruka continued the game of Truth later in class during a free period. As usual, girls started to mill around Yukimura's desk, but he'd dismissed him with a cool glance. Haruka had to admire that ability, being able to communicate his intentions without saying a single word. Even if he really was Mr. Perfect, there were bound to be a few disadvantages in his position.

She didn't know how she ever missed the impatient glint in his eye when a girl asked him if she could talk to him later.

"So, what's the type of girl you'd like to date?" she asked, sipping on a can of Ponta. She'd never been one to beat around the bush.

"Someone who makes me smile," he said cryptically, and turned a page of his tennis magazine. He was good at multi-tasking.

Haruka frowned. "That is so freaking vague."

"Is it really?"

"Yeah. And technically, you should have lost the game because you should have gone in-depth in your answer."

He smiled. "Okay, fine. My _type_ would be the kind of girl who'd understand that I'd have limits to what I can do in a relationship."

She sipped on her soda again. "That would eliminate, like, ninety-nine percent of the female population at our age."

"It probably would," Yukimura agreed.

"Is that what your girlfriend is like?"

"Hold on, Kasamatsu-san, I believe you already had your turn."

"Oh, that's right. Go on, ask your question."

"Why did you follow me into the cafe the other day?"

She turned red from the embarrassment. "Um - my friend wanted to see what your girlfriend looked like. I didn't want to do it, but she dragged me in there."

"Uh-huh..."

"She's a big fan of you."

"I get that a lot," Yukimura said, and he was slightly frowning. Great. Now he probably thought she was going to be one of those rabid, fangirl types all because of some stupid incident.

"Don't take it personally. She was only curious."

"Yes, but there's a limit to those kind of things," Yukimura said. "I mean, getting twenty individually wrapped chocolates is one thing, but to deliberately stalk someone? Seems unhealthy, wouldn't you think?"

"I don't think they'd do it anymore if you made it clear you had a girlfriend, though," Haruka said innocently. When Yukimura lifted an eyebrow, she widened her eyes. "Oh, come on. You know it would. I mean, that girl you were talking to in the cafe - "

"She wasn't my girlfriend," Yukimura said.

"What?"

"That wasn't my girlfriend I was talking to the other day."

"Seriously? Then who is she?"

He made a noncommittal noise. "It doesn't really matter. She doesn't go here."

And somehow, something had shut down in him like he didn't want to talk about it. Haruka could see that plainly, and before she knew it, he'd gotten up to leave the class, probably asking their teacher if he could go down to the library instead of wasting time.

Technically, he'd lost the game of Truth. That was one of the rules: if you couldn't answer a question, than you lost. Yet Haruka felt like she'd lost instead, prying into something that he might've not wanted her to know at all, and in the meantime, lose a possible connection to Yukimura.

**-x-**

"_Haruka, the tennis team is hosting a tournament on Sunday afternoon. Would you like to come with me_?"

Haruka thought about it. The karaoke party wasn't until three weeks later, so she'd have some time before then. _Okay_, she said. Then she hung up on her cell phone.

The morning of the tournament, her best friend had walked up to the Kasamatsu household on time at nine o' clock. Her name was Kurosawa Megumi. She was dressed in a white linen dress and beige sandles with a seashell-beaded anklet on her right foot. Her long raven hair was braided loosely so that it rested just so on the nape of her shoulder. It was cool and fresh outside, and she waited patiently at the bottom of the stairs of their apartment, knowing that Haruka would take a few more minutes to get ready.

Haruka's father was at the kitchen table, sipping on a mug of black coffee.

"Are you going somewhere?" he asked, forgetting that Haruka had asked him two days ago if she could get out of the apartment for the district preliminaries. It figured. Her parents were caught up in the chaos of her brother running away that they'd forgotten about her.

"Yes, there's a tennis tournament I want to see at school," Haruka said. "I'll be home around two."

Her father nodded. "Make sure you study later, Haruka."

Her parents had been more compromising lately. If her brother was still around, her father wouldn't have allowed her to make deviations from their schedule, which followed like this: Monday to Saturday, she would go to school, then have afternoon activities, and then go home to study. And so on and so forth.

It was a wonder how Haruka hadn't managed to go mad in the years before. Maybe it was the naturally competitive nature of Rikkaidai, but Haruka had been comfortable with a routine, something to follow. She was woefully complacent, something that contrasted with the ambitions of her fellow classmates. They wanted to be lawyers, doctors, professional athletes - people who wanted to make a difference in the world.

And to Haruka, it felt like a giant rat-race. What good was trying so hard if she didn't know exactly what she wanted to do?

She shook her head a second later. Today wasn't a day where she wanted to get philosophical.

"Haruka, I brought you some cookies," her friend said, as Haruka walked down the stairs. The Kasamatsu family lived in an apartment complex, leased by the company who employed Haruka's father. "I baked them yesterday."

"I thought you were going to give them to Yukimura-san," Haruka said, biting into a heart-shaped cookie. It was delicious.

"Oh, I was, but I heard he had a girlfriend..." Megumi said ruefully. "And you know, he's too good for me anyway..."

As a person had once said, there were fangirls, and then there were girls who were plain fans. Megumi was the latter. She wasn't crazy, but it didn't stop her from liking Yukimura any less.

"Well, he's my classmate. I could introduce him to you."

"No, that's okay, Haruka. I'm fine."

"But I could - "

"Trust me, I'm fine." Megumi said, and tucked a piece of her dark hair behind her ears. Her dark, heavy bangs nearly covered her eyebrows, making her eyes appear wide-eyed and innocent like a doll.

"How are the cookies?"

"They're very good. What kind are they?"

"They're sugar cookies," Megumi said happily. "I didn't have time to frost them, but they're all right."

"You're going to make me fat, bringing me so many goodies." The two burst out laughing. Haruka was tall enough that she could eat all she wanted without worrying about her weight.

"I can't help baking - it's addicting." Megumi said.

"Maybe you're more suited for Marui-san," Haruka suggested. "You know, the same athleticism as Yukimura-san, but more sugar and _tensai_-oriented."

"Oh God, no," Megumi said, making a face. "He's so... I mean, I'm not trying to be insulting, but I don't really find him that great. Even if he's popular."

"I feel the same way about Yukimura," Haruka dead-panned, which provoked a playful poke from her best friend.

"Oh, just because he's the captain of the tennis team - "

" - president of the Arts Committee - " Haruka interrupted, rolling her eyes. She'd heard this before.

" - has perfect grades in every subject except for Chemistry - "

" - interested in French art and movies - "

_" - _and gardens in his spare time... _doesn't_ mean that he's a bad guy, Haruka," Megumi finished for her.

"Really," Haruka grumbled. "Funny enough, I don't see you adding the fact that he has a little _ego_."

"Well, I'd have an ego too if I took my team to Nationals five times in a row!"

"They lost in his third year of middle school," Haruka noted slyly.

"So what? They've won the rest of the time in high school."

Haruka just rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Megumi spared her a look of long-time suffering. "Maybe you'll understand when you fall in love, God knows when that would be."

**-x-**

Yanagi had lost 6-1 games to Yukimura. What was remarkable was that Yukimura was unable to tell whether Yanagi had been stripped of his senses. He'd calculated his chances of winning - which was slim - but his victory was more that he overcame Yukimura's technique rather than actually defeating the Child of God.

Plus, his objective had been to relieve Yukimura of his frustration. If playing a game was what it took, then Yanagi wasn't afraid to use that method to accomplish his purpose.

Now, with the District Preliminaries taking place so early in the year, it would be better for the team to deal with a more composed captain. Captains couldn't take out their frustration on their teammates, and so it had been a better decision for Yanagi to rectify that situation. If Yukimura was stressed, then the team would have to suffer accordingly, especially Sanada.

And Sanada was in his element today, issuing the special limits that came with the earlier matches in the school year.

"Yanagi," Sanada said, arms crossed and gaze stern. "You're in charge of defense - don't let two points past you. Akaya - you'll be on the offense. Since this is the District Prelims, I thoroughly expect that you should be able to win a point under four shots."

"Yes, fukubuchou," the pair said.

No one had an inkling of doubt who was going to win. The confidence of Rikkaidai was such that they would not even need to proceed to Singles 2.

"D'ya think that I could serve first, senpai? Unleash the Knuckle serve, I mean?" Kirihara looked expectantly at Yanagi, waiting for an answer.

"I would assume that your regular serve would suffice, Akaya," Yanagi said.

"Aw," Kirihara grumbled. "This is boring - Niou-senpai gets to unleash his new moves and I don't? Unfair."

"Unlike _you_, seaweed head, Niou-senpai shows promise," a chestnut-haired girl said, holding a clipboard and a pencil in one hand. Tachibana An was the manager of the Rikkaidai team ever since transferring to the school at the beginning of last year, and was now officially the girlfriend of said 'seaweed head'.

He stuck his tongue at her, which provoked a playful swat from the girl.

Looking at the couple in front of him reminded Yanagi of the other day where his older sister had asked him whether he'd gotten a girlfriend, seeing as he was in his final year of high school. He was momentarily surprised to discover that it wasn't something he'd ever considered before. While he'd certainly enjoyed documenting his classmates' love lives as they made their perilous journey through puberty, it was only on the very rarest of occasions that he gave any thought to his own.

And now that he looked around himself with more interest, it appeared that he had indeed fallen behind his teammates. Even Sanada - arguably the most anti-social person on the tennis team had made better progress than he. Yukimura, for one, was used to dealing with both boys and girls in the rejection department. Marui had courted many partners, only to dump them shortly after, enjoying the chase more than the actual relationship. Both Yagyuu and Jackal were respectively dating nice girls from their classes, and as for Niou, Yanagi had no doubt that the silver-haired teen had progressed far when pursuing the opposite sex.

As he and Kirihara walked towards the court, the thought was pushed behind, but it came back after the whole ordeal - the rallies, the exchanging of balls, the points won in consecutive order - was over. While Yanagi could have collected some data (insignificant as the opponents were, Yanagi liked to be well-informed), his mind was wandering.

Yukimura glanced at Yanagi as he made his way to the benches. "Yanagi-kun, I couldn't have tired you out so badly when I played you the other day. What happened?"

The Master didn't reply at first, preferring to take his time. "I was distracted."

"By what?" his friend inquired.

Yanagi frowned. "It's insignificant."

Yukimura looked taken aback for a second, than composed himself. "So long as it doesn't happen again."

Yanagi nodded. It wasn't that he hadn't played badly - after all, he'd met the conditions of the special limitations - but Yukimura was bound to notice if something was different.

He was, after all, the Child of God.

**-x-**

* * *

><p><strong>an**: That concludes Chapter Three.

So, after thinking about it, I think I kinda want to write a YanagiOC just for the heck of it. XD Because I've written a YukimuraOC and a SanadaOC - it only seems natural that I should add a YanagiOC in the same universe. You get a cookie if you guess who is going to end up with Yanagi (and her name isn't Haruka, by the way).

Shizuko... isn't as mature as I wanted her to be, but it's all about the plot. so don't kill me if you say, "um... she's not the same as in your other story". XD Yukimura is supposed to be pushy and relentless in this chapter. He likes to make his own choices, even if nobody likes his choices.

Oh, and Megumi-chan is _not_ the same friend that dragged Haruka to stalk Yukimura and Nagase in the cafe. Just wanted to clear that up. Haruka simply has a lot of friends who like Yukimura.

Last but not least, I give thanks to **Sinnatious** - her characterization of Inui has really helped me with writing Yanagi's perspective. Data men are not the easiest people to write. XD


	4. the roll of dice

**a/n**: This chapter is a little bit more Megumi-oriented.

Thank you to all who have favorited, alerted, and reviewed this story! Y'all are awesomeeeeee.

I apologize for utter stupidity of this chapter.

* * *

><p><strong>Last Chance<strong>

4. _the roll of dice  
><em>

**-x-**

The first thing that came to Kurosawa Megumi's mind whenever she looked at him was the first winter snow.

Yukimura - fragile yet strong, exquisitely beautiful like a flower in bloom, seemingly cold to the touch. Snow suited him perfectly.

At her first year of high school, she'd been so surprised by him that she'd never realized she'd like a boy who was so charismatic and talented and gorgeously perfect until it was too late to change anything about it.

Once, she accidentally dropped his gardening purchases in front of him. It was back when she was still working at the flower shop. She thought she would have died from the embarrassment.

But he waved off her apologies and to her disbelief, he actually helped her clean up the mess on the ground.

It only took his smile for her to get hooked. Oh, but was it one wonderful smile. She started attending his games, started reading more books about gardening, started talking to other girls about him, and they'd agreed he was wonderful too.

Certainly, he'd grown up to be quite the Prince Charming in their class. Smart, athletic, and a heartthrob, lots of girls had confessed their feelings for him only to be turned down politely. Pretty girls, normal girls, shy girls - all had been sent away with a gentle "no, I don't deserve your feelings".

And so, Megumi started to keep her feelings silent on the entire matter. Haruka knew of them and often liked to poke fun at them - but she wouldn't have understood. Haruka was funny and witty and easygoing; the kind of person who liked to have a good time. Haruka didn't like to worry about things like grades or boys or her plans for the future. Megumi, however, was different. She liked planning out things, making sure they would turn out the way she wanted them to, which was why they balanced each other equally.

In retrospect, liking Yukimura hadn't been part of her plan at all. The only thing she could do was attend his games, support him silently on the sidelines, and to wish for something that would make Yukimura notice her.

**-x-**

"That was fun," Megumi said, as they two of them went home.

"More like exhausting," Haruka said, but grinned. In the midst of one rather exciting match, someone had accidentally chucked a water bottle at Sanada's head. Tachibana An had to rush and get an ice pack before Sanada murdered someone, preferably an innocent freshmen on the tennis team.

"Ah, but you enjoyed it, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did."

They walked up to Haruka's apartment.

"Well, thanks," Haruka said. "I guess I'll be seeing you later."

"Sure. Is your brother around? I haven't been seeing him lately."

"Ah - he's... He's kind of busy right now," Haruka said, a hand sheepishly scratching the back of her head. She couldn't look Megumi in the eye - lying wasn't one of her strong points.

"Of course, he must be really busy in college! Still, I'd hope he'd come home for the weekend."

Haruka nodded listlessly, than walked up the stairs where the door was unlocked. It'd always been that way - even at night - ever since her brother had ran away.

She walked into the house. Her mother was on the phone. She must have been talking to the police again, going over her brother's physical description and insisting that no, he probably wasn't staying overnight at his friend's house, and no, they hadn't had a family disagreement shortly before he'd left the apartment.

He'd cleaned up his room, stacked a few of his books into a tidy pile before the end of the cherry blossom season, and Haruka had teased him a little bit about it.

"Whatcha doing that for, Onii-san? Scared I'm going to go into your room after you're gone?"

He grinned good-naturedly. "Nah. Just doing this for luck."

"What kind of luck?"

He shrugged, still smiling, but it'd been a sort of absentminded kind of smile. Perhaps he'd still been thinking about calculus theorems or the meaning of some obscure Japanese haiku. "It's late, Haruka. Why don't you go to bed soon?"

"M'kay," she said obediently, and headed off to her room.

"See you in dreamland," he said, smiling at Haruka.

And that was the last memory she'd had of him. Nothing dramatic. Nothing special. But she'd analyzed that memory for ever and ever, wondering if she'd missed any signs.

**-x-**

"D'you ever think that things eventually work out?" Haruka asked Yukimura in the beginning of class. They were waiting for the bell to ring, and in that space of time she was slowly but surely building up something - a connection, perhaps - with Yukimura.

She asked the question for the hell of it, not expecting much. It was just one of those things where maybe, you wanted to see if someone would pay attention to the meaning behind the words. If they didn't, fine.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, say that life is one big equation and a person gets as many bad things as good things."

"I'm afraid I'm not much of a philosopher as you might assume, Kasamatsu-san," he said politely, but she could tell he was thinking about it.

She was starting to get a better picture of him. He was good at hiding his true thoughts behind a guarded expression, but if one looked closely, it was not difficult to guess what he was feeling.

And after a few seconds of consideration, he said, "I know that good people can be unlucky, and that even good things can happen to bad people."

It'd only taken two weeks for years of lean muscle to wither away in the hospital. The medics called it atrophy. Yukimura thought it was _wrong_.

"I see," Haruka said, even though Yukimura knew she didn't. "You're a realist, aren't you?"

"Yes," he said, and there was something in his blue eyes that seemed so sure of himself. "I suppose I am."

**-x-**

_I've just been visiting a businessman and, according to him, the only way to succeed is to practice the 'triangled technique': try to escape your obligations, annihilate your kindly feelings, and geld yourself of the sense of shame. Try-an-geld. You get it? Jolly clever, don't you think? _

Megumi was at the library, eyes squinting, as she always did when something was difficult. Specifically, it was her Japanese Literature class that was giving her so much trouble. Her teacher was notorious for assigning college-level texts, which included the first volume of Soseki Natsume's "_I Am a Cat_."

She sighed to herself, and tried, as always, to understand the point of the satire. She never liked dissecting words and literary elements; trying to read below the surface - it just wasn't in her personality to read books on a deeper level. It'd been one of her worst subjects in school.

And anyways, the library was getting a bit crowded. She probably wouldn't understand it very well in here any better than at home, so she might as well leave.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?"

Megumi looked up to find Yanagi Renji with his eyes closed. Although they were classmates, she hadn't really spoken to him all that much. Still, it wouldn't do to be impolite.

"No, go ahead - I was just leaving." She smiled and proceeded to put her things away in her book bag.

He saw the title of her book. "Were you working on your analysis?" he inquired. Each week they'd have to turn in a paragraph summary of new insights and developments in the book.

She paused in the middle of tucking her pencil-case into one of the leather pockets. "Yeah, I was. Have you finished it?"

He nodded. "It's one of my favorite books."

"Really?" Megumi found it hard to imagine anyone simply enjoying an old book about a cat's narrative perspective. It was full of academia humor; which was probably why some of the jokes felt forced to her.

"There's a lot to find about Soseki-san if you read his work in short sections," Yanagi said. "I mean, that's how I read him in ninth grade."

She blinked, slowly taking out her book. "You read _this_ in ninth grade? What else did you read?"

"'Kokoro', 'A Personal Matter', 'The Setting Sun' - " Yanagi began to quote titles of famous Japanese novels, and he saw the girl's eyebrows stretch higher and higher.

"I thought you were more of a math and science guy," she confessed. "I had no idea you were so well-read."

"Expertise in one area doesn't necessarily negate the proficiency of another," was his reply, but there was a little upwards curve to his mouth, as if he was suppressing a smile.

"I suppose you're right," Megumi said sensibly. Her arms were done putting her things in her bag, and she slipped it over her small, yet sturdy, shoulders.

"Well, see you later," she said, and he caught a quick flash of her friendly smile before she turned away.

**-x-**

It had occurred to Yanagi that Kurosawa had easily been the prettiest girl he shared a decent conversation with in two years or so.

Perhaps he wasn't used to collecting data on girls. He was acutely aware that his database on females were limited. What he had observed about the female species came mostly from his own conclusions from living with his older sister, and he'd long since concluded that his data was insufficient for him to interact comfortably with the opposite sex.

About half of the girls in Rikkaidai were focused on what they wanted to do in the future; if they so much as looked at him, it would probably to glare at him as they aimed for the highest possible class rank. The other half had money and popularity - a result of Rikkaidai being one of the elite schools in the Kanagawa prefecture - and he would have been smited on spot if he was brave enough to approach them. He wasn't. Yanagi was fine with being pegged as that "weird guy who always closes his eyes", but to be humiliated openly in front of people wasn't an option he was willing to consider.

Frankly, if he hadn't been part of the Three Demons, Yanagi often thought he'd have no friends at all. It wasn't that he wasn't willing to be a friendly person - it was more that the opportunities he wanted to happen never really had a chance to come to fruition.

He could solve physics equations and analyze the mole ratio of two reactants, but when it came to socialization, he was mostly at a loss.

Of course, there had been teachers and next-door neighbors that resembled his sister; friendly enough, but not enough commitment to deepen their relationship to anything more than acquaintances. He used to have a chemistry lab partner who was also a girl, but she'd been more interested in getting a good grade than anything else.

**-x-**

(The day after he met her in the library they had been assigned a group project over narrative perspective over their book.

Kurosawa had asked him politely to be his partner.

His data told him there would have been no advantage in it whatsoever. She obviously didn't understand the material as well as he did, and he would have been uncomfortable working with her as she was more of an acquaintance rather than friends.

Then again, he wasn't quite sure of the idiot who told him to say, "Yes, that would be nice.")

**-x-**

Yukimura is sweetly demonic in the way he executes and carries out his orders to the tennis team.

"You know, sometimes I think it's a miracle that we're still doing this," Yukimura said as he, Sanada, and Yanagi were walking to tennis courts.

"Miracles don't exist," Sanada said bluntly.

Yukimura was amused. "I only meant to say that I didn't expect to have the same team from middle school all the way to high school."

"Or perhaps we'd be more afraid of what you'd say to us if we resigned from the team," Yanagi observed.

"Are you two suggesting that I run this club on fear alone?" the bluenette asked him playfully.

Neither of his companions bothered to deign Yukimura with a response.

"Anyways, I still think it's sort of a miracle how we've all stuck together," Yukimura said again once he was sure that neither of them were going to answer him. He loosened his tie just slightly. "I mean, I feel like I'm fifteen again. Except a lot better."

Yanagi and Sanada stiffened at the mention of his illness. They remembered that year all too clearly.

"Of course you are," Sanada said immediately.

Yanagi could see that Yukimura liked to mention his illness to provoke a reaction out of them. The reason remained unknown to him.

At the same time, it reminded Yanagi that his icy blue eyes had never ceased to watch carefully over their team.

And he knew that Yukimura would rather quit than let their team down again.

**-x-**

All of the team members play tennis for different reasons.

For Marui, he does it because he wants to show off.

For Kirihara, it's a passion that will never die.

For Yagyuu, it's an alternative path in high school.

For Niou, it's his partner that lures him in.

For Jackal, it's his only way to be accepted in a culturally-homogeneous society.

For Sanada, it's another way to channel discipline and honor.

For Yukimura, it is a lifeline.

**-x-**

By some weird twist of fate or destiny, she'd gotten cleaning duty after school with Yukimura.

Haruka decided this wasn't actually a bad thing.

"You know, Yukimura-san, you're actually different from what I thought you'd be."

He was in the middle of sweeping the floor with a broom and pan. "Is that so?" he asked, not looking up to meet her eyes. "What did you expect me to be?"

"Mmm... I guess I thought you'd be more of of a demanding person. You know, kind of pushy."

He laughed. It was a tinkling, pleasant sound.

"You're not completely wrong on that assumption, Kasamatsu-san. I push my teammates around and demand perfection from them."

"I meant like in public."

"Even more so. If they're not worth my time, I don't acknowledge them."

Haruka rolled her eyes. "That's not demanding, that's just plain arrogance."

He smiled. Yukimura rather liked her honesty.

**-x-**

"You two seem to be getting along well," Megumi said.

Haruka paused. "Not really. I mean, we're classmates, but we're not friends or anything."

"Oh," Megumi said. "Well... that's good, I guess."

If Megumi was telling the truth, she would have said that she felt put-out that Yukimura actually said "_Ohayou_, Kasamatsu-san" while they were walking to school that morning. It told her two things.

One, he acknowledged her existence.

Two, they were on talking terms.

Yukimura didn't like to waste his time or energy on things that he didn't enjoy. It was the way he was, and if Haruka could hold his attention for this long into the year...

Who was to say that he _wasn't_ interested in her, girlfriend or no girlfriend?

**-x-**

* * *

><p><strong>an**: I think this is like, one of the worst chapters I've written. Please forgive me for the utter suckiness.

Am currently sick, so I don't care at all to edit this. When I write I get tired of reading what I've written. :P

For those people who care, Kurosawa Megumi looks like Mogami Kyoko from Skip Beat! before she bleached and cut her hair. She's supposed to be cute, not beautiful (or bishoujo-whatever it is)

Haruka (to me, anyways) looks like Sohma Kana from Fruits Basket.


	5. the odds

**a/n**: Writing Yanagi-chan is actually a lot more fun than I expected. He's an awkward duck. :D Although, seriously, he's pretty attractive once he opens his eyes imho. Oh, and let's pretend Haruka isn't actually on the Student Council, even though I wrote that in the first chapter.

Um, guys? Would it kill y'all to **review** once in a while... ? :'D I'm flattered that quite a lot of you have put this story on alert, but I'd like to know what you think about it from time to time.

* * *

><p><strong>Last Chance<strong>

5. _the odds_

"It's too simple."

"But I _like_ simple."

"At least complicate it a little. Make it interesting."

"Interesting can be simple. It leaves more to the imagination."

"Yanagi-san..." the girl sighed, "Sometimes I wonder if you understand that people don't think in the same wave as you do."

Megumi was quickly figuring out why the boy was a loner. He often liked to prove his calculations right, which was annoying and secondly, he was sort of stubborn.

Particularly when it came to his opinions.

She wasn't strong enough to fight him. But it didn't feel right while he did the entire school project by himself without letting her help.

"What do you mean?" His tone of voice, strangely enough, was inquisitive, not combative.

"We haven't agreed on anything while we've been working together," she said, and then instantly regretted it once it had come out. Her mother had always lectured her over manners, quoting, _Always preserve the harmony of one's feelings, Megumi_.

However, Yanagi wasn't offended at all. "I apologize. I wasn't aware of that."

Okay, so he wasn't completely stubborn. But still.

Perhaps being headstrong was one of those things that separated a female from a male?

"I think we can at least put some silver glitter on the poster," she offered. She was more artistic and she was more sure on this point than anything else.

"That's fine with me," he said, and it was a good compromise.

He wasn't like Yukimura - who was nice and friendly and always smelled like the ocean - but that was fine. She could hardly imagine working with Yukimura, which honestly would have been a dream come true.

If Yukimura was the snow, than Yanagi was the wind; wise, calculating, and of course, blew in any direction he took a fancy to.

**-x-**

The next session in the library that followed was no better than the first.

"Look, Yanagi-san. It's Mr. Cat!"

Kurosawa had cut out a piece of cardstock in the shape of a cat with a silly expression on his face. Yanagi had allowed her be in charge of the remaining decorations as long as he was doing the rest of the entire project.

For some inexplicable reason, she wanted to make the other boy laugh. He was always so serious, still working on the timeline with labored, perfect handwriting. It made her feel tired, watching him work.

He looked up briefly, then went back to work. Darn it.

Then she quoted the first few lines of the book in what she hoped was a deep, mature voice. "_I am a cat. As yet I have no name. I've no idea where I was born. All I remember is that I was miaowing in a dampish, dark place when, for the first time, I saw a human being. This human being, I heard afterwards, was a member of the most ferocious human species; a shosei, one of those students who, in return for board and lodging, perform small chores about the house -_ "

"Kurosawa-san, don't you have something you should be doing?"

She pouted. "But we've been here for an hour already."

"Well - " and then Yanagi glanced at the clock. "So we are. I get lost in those things."

**-x-**

"I didn't want to mention this in front of our parents, but you smelled like a girl yesterday."

Yanagi thought if there was exactly _one_ thing he wanted to hide, his sister would eventually find out about it.

He raised a wrist to his nose. Kurosawa liked to wear lotion on her hands, and he hadn't noticed the smell until now. Still, it was better to pretend nothing happened.

"I did? The possibility of that is - "

"Renji-kun, don't pull that data stuff off on me. Whose the unlucky girl?"

He scowled at his sister, who had - incidentally speaking - taken a break this Sunday from college. His sister always made everything that she said to him seem like an insult.

Then again, he wasn't far off that radar too.

"Stop being so nosy."

She chuckled. "Isn't that ironic, Renji-kun? You're always so intent on finding other people's secrets."

They were at the beach, collecting starfish and baby octopi, the May wind fresh and salty. Yanagi's sister held a crowbar in one hand, both lifting rocks in knee-deep water and peering into the subsiding tidepools for signs of life.

It was not an unpleasant way to spend a Sunday morning. Yanagi had never been one to sleep in, and if he had, he wouldn't have missed spending time alone with his older sister.

She handed him a string of knotted starfish. "Careful. Make sure they don't break."

He nodded and placed them in a coil at the bottom of his bucket. The starfish clung to each other tightly.

"Um, Onee-san..."

"What is it?"

"How do you talk to, um, the - "

"Opposite sex so well?" she offered.

He nodded.

"Well, I don't think it's very common for a Japanese girl to become a marine biologist," she mused. "My field is mostly dominated by men. So if I want to get anywhere, I have to be able to talk to them. And vice versa. I have to make sure they talk to me as a person."

"But - "

"I don't think it's the lack of your inhibitions that's preventing you from relating to other people." His sister cocked her head, pausing to look at him. "You must really like this girl, huh?"

"I don't know," he finally admitted. It was just - Kurosawa was cute and friendly and it was just hard to function when he was around was all. But he didn't know anything, didn't have any data to collect on her, didn't know the proper standard for this... kind of thing.

He could barely remember the last time he had a crush. His past memories had been dominated by tennis, old books, and data. So in a way, he'd been ignoring her, brushing her off when she was trying to talk to him.

He was aware that this was having the opposite effect on Kurosawa, but it was worse than reaching out to her and finding out she didn't really care about him as a person at all.

"You know, there _are_ some perks to being the only woman on the research team," his sister said. "I never have to buy drinks."

"Never?"

"Never," she confirmed. "And it's really quite flattering. Perhaps in this case, you should take the initiative. Take notes on what she likes and dislikes."

**-x-**

The third session (project nearly done, cats pasted onto poster, time line almost finished) was more relaxed.

"Your sister is so pretty," Kurosawa said when she asked him if his family members closed his eyes like he did. He said no and then showed her a picture of Mayuko.

"I've never thought of her that way," he said, and then realized that sounded insensitive.

If it was, Kurosawa didn't think it was callous. Then again, he thought it was impossible to offend Kurosawa - she was always smiling. And her eyes had a way of making a person feel warm inside.

Yanagi paused. Okay, that just sounded... weird. That sounded like something Marui would say about his love of muffins, or cake, or something along those sugary lines.

"What does she do for a living?"

"She occasionally collects sea animals to sell to research centers and college laboratories. It pays for her living costs in Yokohoma when she's not at home."

"Oh." And she put a hand to her mouth, laughing silently.

"What is it?"

"I just think it's funny that you know everyone else's hobbies and backgrounds and blood types, but you never talk about your own."

**-x-**

Haruka spotted Yukimura pulling a wagon of flowers up to the school after her rehearsal after Thursday, and it just seemed... right, to to go up to him.

"Hey."

"Oh - Kasamatsu-san. Hello." A smile came easily on his lips, and she had to admit, he had a nice smile. "What are you doing here?"

"I saw you outside my window. Thought I'd say hi."

"That's nice of you," he said. "I heard a bit of music - was that Edward Elgar?"

"Grieg," she corrected easily. "We're playing one of his segments for a wedding."

"Ah. I see."

"And um - you're planting flowers, aren't you?" _State the obvious, Haruka, because obviously one pulls a wagon of plants around school for no reason at all._

"Yeah. It's early May, so it's a good time to plant things." Yukimura was wearing gardening gloves, and she thought it was odd how they seemed to suit him.

"Haruka-chan! Are you out here? I was looking - oh."

Megumi had spotted the two outside of the building, and she had turned a pretty shade of pink at the sight of her crush. "Um. Yukimura-san! Hi. I was just looking for - "

"Kasamatsu-san? She's right here," the bluenette gestured, pointing to Haruka.

"Oh," Megumi said, and suddenly the ground seemed more interesting. "Um, well thanks. I guess."

"You must be Kurosawa-san, right? Yanagi-kun told me a bit about you." His voice was light and boyish, provoking another blush on her cheeks.

"W-we're working on a project together."

"Ah, is that so? I got the impression you two were friends." Yukimura thought it was sort of fun to make her blush.

"More or less," Megumi said. "A-anyways, I was about to go home."

"Well, don't let me keep you two. _Ja ne_."

**-x-**

Haruka had been entirely silent during their exchange out of respect for Megumi's feelings, but seriously, it had been sort of embarrassing to witness.

She wasn't entire sure why people acted like total idiots when they liked somebody... anyways, she'd gotten the idea that Yukimura somehow knew that Megumi had a huge, huge infatuation on the boy.

"Oh, that was horrible, wasn't it?" Megumi fretted as soon as they were out of Yukimura's earshot. "I - I just froze once I saw him. Like a bunny caught in headlights."

"You did fine," Haruka reassured her, lying through her teeth. "I mean, it could have gone worse."

Megumi's expression was mollified. "That's true." And then her eyes became more angular. "I saw you talking with Yukimura-san." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah - well, he just came up where I was walking. I just happened to stumble along," Haruka shrugged.

Then she paused.

"Megumi-chan, you're not jealous of me, are you?"

The other girl bit her lip. "Well, if I was being honest... yeah. I mean, you don't even have to _try_ and he talks to you."

"I don't look at him in that way, if that's what you're concerned about."

"I know."

"Megumi, I'm serious."

"I know you are. I just - well. It's stupid, but I thought it was possible that you two... Well. Never mind. Forget about it."

Haruka looked at her best friend carefully. "If you say so."

**-x-**

The fourth session was when the loose ends were tied up. The project was finished.

And if Yanagi was being honest, he was sort of regretful of ever saying "yes" to partnering up with Kurosawa.

It wasn't because she'd done a bad job or anything...

It was probably more along the lines of, "now I'll never have an excuse to talk to her ever again".

"Yanagi-san, why do you look so sad?"

He was taken aback. And in that moment of astonishment Megumi caught a flash of his amber-golden eyes, a fact that made her involuntarily gasp.

"What is it?"

"You - you just opened your eyes," she said, blinking in disbelief.

"Oh," he said and closed them again. "Sorry to startle you."

She thought (not that she would ever admit it) he looked different in a good way when his eyes were opened. And at her.

And he didn't answer her question, come to think of it.

"Ne, Yanagi-san - "

"The project looks really good," he interrupted her suddenly. "Good job, Kurosawa-san."

"Huh? Oh, thanks. Even though you did most of the work."

"Seventy seven percent," he said softly, as if he was talking to himself. "But working together was what counted the most."

"What did you say?" she asked and in doing so she leaned a little bit (3.25 centimeters, he thought) closer towards him.

"Nothing," he said, face heating up. Her shampoo smelled like lavender.

**-x-**

"Yanagi-kun, you've been distracted _all_ this week," Yukimura said sternly as practice ended. Behind them were the first years, who were responsible for clearing up the tennis courts. "What's wrong with you?"

The Master could say nothing in response. He prided himself on his focus, and what had happened?

He almost lost a match to Akaya. And that was _not_ acceptable.

Yukimura looked at the boy carefully for a moment, and then he laughed.

And when Yukimura laughed, Yanagi couldn't help but groan quietly. He might've been one of the smartest people in the school, and one known to hide his emotions but Yukimura knew him too well, read him too easily like a book.

"You're _lovesick_," he said finally. "Just like the time where Akaya was about to confess to An-chan."

"I'm not that ridiculous," Yanagi said. "My chances are astronomically low."

"But data can be changed."

"Not when the matters of the heart are involved." Sadaharu had taught him that if he ever wanted to get anywhere, he'd have to abandon data.

"She's pretty, isn't she? Kurosawa-san, that is."

Yanagi didn't even bother to answer that question. Yukimura laughed softly again. "You know, I got the feeling she was a warm and kind hearted person."

"You met her before?"

"Once or twice."

They stood there in silence before Yukimura finally said, "You ought to resolve it soon."

"Seiichi..."

"It just comes down to this: who do you commit more to; tennis, or someone you'll forget in a few weeks?"

**-x-**

* * *

><p><strong>an**: Thought that was a semi-decent place to stop. C:

**So pleeeeeeeeeease review**. I know quite a lot of you guys have this on story alert, and I would really really really appreciate if people just told me what they thought about this and last chapter.

Neon Genesis's review actually spurred me to write this in like, a day. 8D Who knows what might happen if a lot of you review at the same time~ (well, I'd still write it, but it would be some nice encouragement. like srsly.)


	6. the bright side

**a/n**: So your reviews, like, MADE MY DAY and didn't leave me pondering what I should do next. So yay!

**Aikiri Natsume** brought up a valid point - she "didn't expect that (Yanagi) would 'like' Megumi so quickly".

My answer to that is: It's probably like, eighty-percent chemical attraction. I mean, we are talking about a socially-awkward guy, to be honest... XD

On this note I'm aware that Renji's preferred type of girl is 'calculating', but here's my lil' thought process on that: That boy needs to _stop_ it with that data thing. That's just stalkerish, and IDK he needs someone to lighten him up. xD

* * *

><p><strong>Last Chance<strong>

6. _the bright side  
><em>

There were differences between Haruka and Megumi. Some of them were subtle. Some of them were obvious.

And what was sadly true was that a chord of jealousy ran through both of their minds. It was not noticeable at first - similar to how no one notices a drop of water.

Ever since Megumi stopped sharing any classes with Haruka, the lack of continuous contact somewhat distorted both of them. Somehow, they had started to develop independently of each other, and it was strange to see a person that they had grown up with to change so suddenly.

And that was perhaps the problem - it was too subtle to fix, and by the time anybody had noticed something was different, it was too late to change.

Perhaps the problem was that Haruka cared too little and Megumi cared too much. If they had seen that these were causes, not results. If only Haruka had sought to confide in her best friend the loss of her brother, and if only Megumi had sought out Haruka's opinion of the odd boy she had met in the library. If only Haruka had realized that Yukimura was not just another boy to trifle with, but also her best friend's deepest and longest infatuation. If only Megumi realized that Haruka was a little colder, less confident, and weaker than before.

If only.

**-x-**

The etiquette lesson took place in a lovely restaurant in a hotel lobby not too far from the high school campus. On the menu were julienned potatoes, steamed chicken breast, and fresh asparagus.

Haruka chewed slowly, taking particular care to not attract attention from any of her classmates or her teacher, who was observing the room like a hawk.

She disliked the class because it reminded her of her father's suffocating dinner parties. Everyone looking, judging, the subtle exchanges of information designed to either impress or provoke a reaction -it was simply too much, just too much pretentiousness for her to pretend it was fine.

Her brother had been a point of pride for her parents.

"He's the top of his class," her father would say. "And I should mention that he is enrolled in Rikkaidai Fuzoku."

And his business clients would be suitably impressed. "What university is he planning to enter?"

"Why, the University of Tokyo, of course!"

At this her brother would smile politely. This was his natural response to everything. Nothing ever seemed to bother him, and she always thought it was highly unfair.

Unfair, because her father thought it was ridiculous to pay for music lessons while her brother got to go one of the best cram schools in the Kanagawa prefecture.

Unfair, because even if her brother was truly perfect, he eventually escaped their parent's expectations.

Unfair, because he was free. Where was _she_? Trapped in a bell jar, with nowhere to go.

**-x-**

"Will you pass the salt, please?" Yukimura asked the girl sitting two places to the left, across the table. To his mild surprise the girl had looked up to reveal Kasamatsu Haruka in mid-chew, although it wasn't an especially comical sight. She always chewed with her mouth closed.

On that note, her table manners were always pristine. Not like the others - who were awkward with forks or spoons or the _mille-feuille_ they served as dessert with coffee at the end of the lunch.

Her motion was fluid, unassuming. Her fingers picked up the saltshaker and deposited it neatly in a corner near his plate.

"Thank you."

She nodded and resumed to cutting her chicken breast, and he for some reason had the oddest idea that she despised having a meal in full view of her classmates.

It was perhaps those things he naturally picked up upon. Being captain of a Nationals-winning team almost made him hypersensitive to the morale of all his teammates. If, say, Kirihara was upset, the youngest member of their team had a knack of taking his frustration on the entire team, ruining a day where improvements could be made.

But anyways, moving on. Kasamatsu just seemed to be shut off, indifferent to the lively conversation of her tablemates, not even listening to what they were saying.

It didn't make any sense, because he saw her eating lunch in class in front of her friends before. Yes, it was an informal setting - but so what? It wasn't any different, really.

**-x-**

Two and a half kilometers away, Yanagi was expounding on his theory that the cat was reminiscent of _Kami_ - that he viewed humans as unintelligent and thus, had a higher persona than humanity itself.

Megumi was listening, and what was so odd was that he made a lot of sense. He didn't explain in a way that made him sound like he felt he was better than everybody else, but his explanation was so clear and concise that it was a pleasure to listen to him talk, to hear his own thoughts on a classic piece of literature.

She never expected that from him. Especially on a book that she thought she had initially disliked.

It was true that she had always thought of him as an intelligent person; but it had been the superficial definition of a person who studied hard and did well in school.

But Yanagi...

He was _more_ than that, she realized. He was courteous and open-minded, conscientious of other people's desires and wants, and was a naturally inquisitive person.

How was it she never noticed that?

**-x-**

"Full marks," Megumi said cheerfully, and read their teacher's highly enthusiastic comments on their book project. "All because of you."

(She thought it was fair that she at least bought him a drink in the school cafeteria.)

"If work becomes pleasure, than it is not work at all," he said, and stirred his milk tea with a spoon. They sat at a table together, but it was mostly secluded from the eyes of nosy onlookers.

"Is that a quote?"

"No."

"Oh. I thought it was."

"My memory isn't that good that I can pick a quote from a book," he said, but he was sort of smiling. Sort of.

"I know I didn't do very much, but I hope this is enough to represent my gratitude," Megumi said.

"Kurosawa-san, we're not going to stop being friends just because the project is finished, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you're not going to ignore me like everyone else is, right?"

Her eyes were wide. "No, of course not. I would never ignore you."

"Good - I mean, well, that's great."

"Well, I wouldn't want to be rude to a person that helped me so greatly in a subject I was terribly lacking in."

"You're not that bad. I thought your explanation of the _shosei_ was quite good."

"Yanagi-san, you flatter me too well, but I'm not as good at explaining as you are."

He seemed embarrassed at her compliment. "It's nothing."

"I was inspired," she said simply. "Have you ever thought about becoming a teacher?"

And to her surprise he said, "Yes. Once or twice."

"Really," she said, and she had a thoughtful expression.

He had never admitted that to any of his friends, not even to the other members of the Troika. He had a feeling that one would have flatly disapproved and the other wouldn't have taken him seriously at all.

**-x-**

Nothing awkward or disastrous had happened yet. To his relief, tennis practice had progressed smoothly and Yukimura had passed his court without comment. But the blue-eyed boy had still teased him a bit in the locker room, when almost everybody had gone home for the day.

"How are you and Kurosawa-san?"

Sanada was perturbed. "Who is Kurosawa-san?"

"My project partner." He wasn't lying, at the very least.

"I'm glad that you're back to normal." Yukimura said sweetly.

Yanagi might have said that "normal" was relative and that no one on the team was really "normal" according to popular convention save for Jackal. But he didn't. There were just some habits you outgrew, and his was correcting people on a mere technicality.

"It's peculiar that he would be able to affect your court performance, at any rate," Sanada commented, and Yukimura couldn't help bursting out in laughter. Sanada looked at Yukimura in surprise.

"Kurosawa is a girl," Yukimura corrected.

"Oh - well." Sanada just looked at Yanagi, and the other boy wished he hadn't said anything about his absymal performance two days ago. "Er - "

"It doesn't matter anymore," Yanagi said, and his ears were vividly pink. "We're just friends. She's not a distraction."

"If you say so," Yukimura said gently. To Sanada - "Could you tell my sister I'll be out soon? I just want to talk to Yanagi for a few minutes."

The door clicked shut behind them.

"I didn't mean to give you an ultimatum yesterday. I'm sorry. I wouldn't want you to cut off ties with a person just because of me."

"Seiichi..."

"I was worried." Pause. "Do you remember the time where you played against Inui-san our third year of middle school... ?"

Of course he did. He had learned the lesson to never underestimate the turbulence of human emotions. Sadaharu was faster at grasping such concepts than he. That was why his friend had won that match, despite a calculated fifty-fifty chance in his favor. The guilt of leaving his friend that day had come crashing down on his ears unexpectedly, throwing his game off-kilter when he had expected easy victory.

If his relationship with Kurosawa turned a complete one-eighty, it was possible that something similar could happen.

Still. What was the point of living if he didn't take risks?

**-x-**

"I have feelings for you, Yukimura-senpai. Will you accept them?"

Confessions. Yukimura had never been comfortable with accepting them - he hated letting people down because of factors he couldn't control. Girls, even the ones that seemed so strong and confident, were hurt in the process of him saying no. Yet he couldn't delude himself into saying "yes", because of course that would be even worse, to take pity on a person.

He never said the right thing to them. It was always too little, too late.

"It's okay," the girl said, and she averted her eyes. She'd gotten the gist of his answer without needing him to say anything. "I know that I'm not smart or athletic or pretty enough to go out with you..."

"That's not it," Yukimura said. "I'm just not ready for a relationship."

"Then when?" The girl looked up, and to his surprise, she wasn't sad at all. She was angry.

"You're so nice, Yukimura-senpai, but you keep pushing everyone away from you! Like you're above them!" Her eyes were wet. "I don't even know what I was thinking," the girl mumbled, and walked away, tears quickly falling away from her cheeks.

The hallway was quiet; Yukimura's heart a steady, slow beat underneath his blazer being the only noise he could comprehend.

Then the silence was broken.

"Hey, why didn't you tell her that you had a girlfriend?"

He glanced over his shoulder. Surprisingly, Haruka was standing behind him, arms crossed and mouth curled into a frown.

"It's none of your business," he said in a clipped voice, and started walking. He had no desire to listen to what was undoubtedly one of her opinionated remarks.

"Hey, I'm _talking_ to you," Haruka said, and something in her voice made him stop. "I mean, you could have at least given her a decent explanation or something, instead of bullshitting her into thinking you don't dig relationships."

"Why should I inform someone whose name I don't remember about my personal details?" Yukimura said. "It's none of their business."

"People shouldn't have to have their feelings hurt just because they were misinformed," Haruka retorted. "You don't have to be so mean just because everything comes so naturally for you."

This girl was too honest for her own good. It irritated Yukimura for some reason.

"Why would it bother you so, Kasamatsu-san? It doesn't have anything to do with you."

There was a dangerous gleam in his eyes, a sign that bode bad things to come unless she had a perfectly good reason to nose in his private affairs.

She narrowed her eyes. "It _bothers_ me because I know you have a girlfriend. You can't delude people forever into thinking you're something that you're not. Someone is going to find out, and then they'll be angry at you - "

"They'll end up happier knowing where they stand, rather than to pine away for my affection. It's better this way."

And the way he said it made her feel like she couldn't argue with him, even there was something magnificently wrong with the way he phrased it. She looked away and bit her lip. Haruka wasn't angry - she wasn't _noble_ enough to feel vindictive on behalf of people she didn't know, but still.

It just wasn't fair.

"Your girlfriend's a lucky woman," Haruka said. The way Yukimura talked to her made her _want_ to have the final word. To be right when he thought she was wrong.

"It's not so much as she's lucky than my inability to move on," he shrugged, and he walked away while she stood in one place, trying to digest the implications of what he had just said.

Yukimura Seiichi was like a knot - a complicated, frustrating knot she could not understand. Above all, he was someone she found hard to ignore, and harder still to unravel.

**-x-**

"Gee, I haven't seen you for a week," Megumi said as she smoothed her plaid skirt. "How are things?"

"Good," Haruka said. "You?"

"I've been well," Megumi answered, and her fingers rested lightly on a small book on her lap. Haruka read the title upside down. "I thought you hated reading."

"Someone recommended it to me," Megumi said. "He said it was really good."

Huh. He must have been rather special if he could convince Megumi to read a book, much less Endo Shusaku's _"Silence"_.

Haruka decided to ignore this and focused on something else. "I have tickets to a movie next Sunday. Want to come?"

"I thought you had a karaoke party to go to."

Trust Megumi to remember the most trivial things. "I can skip it."

"You sure?"

"Yeah." There weren't enough tickets to go round, and Haruka wasn't a big fan of singing in front of people. The girl she'd given her ticket to had thanked her enthusiastically.

"Well then," Megumi said, and her eyes were round and bright. "I'd love to come."

She was so easy to please. It was endearing.

"So what's the movie about?"

**-x-**

"It's about a writer who goes back to the expatriate era. You know. Gertrude Stein and Picasso and all those artists in Paris."

Yukimura was not too hard to figure out once you knew what he liked and disliked. Yanagi usually didn't take advantage of it, but...

"I've always been a fan of Woody Allen," he admitted. "But I wanted to spend this Sunday training."

Yanagi was insistent. "I could play a match with you afterwards."

Yukimura gave the boy a wry smile. "You don't give up, do you? I'll have you know that I suspect an ulterior motive."

Which was true. Yanagi just preferred to make plans without people knowing the specifics. If one already knew the reason, then it would be too easy to connect the dots.

**-x-**

* * *

><p><strong>an**: Next chapter, look forward to Yanagi's "why does my life suck so much" monologue. Or something. The movie they're going to see is "A Midnight in Paris" and I thought it would be something that Yukimura would be interested in, since he's super interested in Renoir and Monet and that sorta stuff.

I looked up a blog for a Japanese exchange student and apparently they really do have etiquette lessons for eating and stuff. I'm convinced that Rikkaidai and Hyotei would definitely have something like this in their curriculum.

Reviews would be nice. *bats eyelashes*


	7. the misunderstandings

**author's note**: I know it's been quite a long time, but that was because writing this chapter was a pain in the ass. Five drafts of completely different material and then stitching the entire thing together with the best paragraphs while trying to find the time is... Ugh.

Anyways, I hope this chapter doesn't suck too much. Lots of drama in this one.

* * *

><p><strong>Last Chance<strong>

7. _the misunderstandings_

**-x-**

"Haruka! Look!"

"What is it Megumi, I'm trying to buy these tickets - "

"Over there!"

She finally looked and saw both Yukimura Seiichi and Yanagi Renji striding towards her. She mumbled a foul word and hurriedly fetched her tickets before realizing that Megumi had clenched her hand with a pincher-like force.

"Megumi, what are you doing? Let go of my hand."

Rather than letting go, Megumi only gripped harder. She was incredibly anxious and her face was quickly becoming paler as the boys came closer.

"Oh, no, what should I do? He's seen me, Haruka! Quick, what should I say?"

"Hello, I guess?" Haruka suggested sarcastically. "That's what I would say anyway..."

Yukimura finally came up to greet her and quick as a flash Megumi let go of her hand. "Didn't expect to see you here, Kasamatsu-san."

_Same goes for you_, Haruka thought privately, but outwardly she shrugged and gave him a polite smile. "Hello, Yukimura-san. This is my friend, Kurosawa Megumi."

"I know. I've met her before." Yukimura acknowledged her with the same dazzle-smile he gave to acquaintances. She blushed in response and looked away.

Haruka on the other hand was more interested in Yukimura's other friend. He looked familiar for some reason; he was taller than Yukimura and had straight auburn hair. His eyes were closed, and she thought that was a bit unusual.

Yukimura noticed this and said, "This is Yanagi Renji. One of my oldest friends."

"Nice to meet you," Haruka said. "I thought you looked familiar. I saw you at one of the tennis tournaments."

"H-He's really nice," Megumi stuttered, the traces of a rosy blush still on her cheeks. "And smart. He helped me with a literature project; I would have failed if it weren't for him."

At the compliment Yanagi opened his eyes, which Haruka was surprised to see his were a color of liquid amber. He was more attractive than she had initially perceived him.

"Thank you," he said quietly, shyly pleased with Megumi's approval. "What movie are you seeing, Kurosawa-san?"

"Ah... I forgot the title - ne, Haruka, what was it called again?"

"It was in English. Midnight in Paris. Twelve o'clock showing."

"What a coincidence!" Yukimura said cheerfully. "Us too. We should go together."

Haruka inwardly groaned. She was not enthused about spending an afternoon with two of Rikkaidai's finest, but she knew that Megumi would never forgive her if she let this opportunity fly away. And anyways, Megumi seemed to be comfortable around Yanagi; perhaps that could spur her to have confidence to speak to Yukimura.

"Sure," Haruka said, a cool smile on her face and gestured towards the entrance. "It's Ladies Day at the matinee, so expect more women to be at the theater today."

"A day where females get discount on their tickets," Yanagi explained to Yukimura and Megumi. "I suppose you go here quite often?"

"Yeah, they're the only joint that'll broadcast the NHK Symphony Orchestra," Haruka said. She turned to open the door. "They play Mahler every year. My brother used to take me there. I still remember when Charles Detoit still conducted the orchestra."

Yukimura noticed that she said his name almost reverently.

"He's still an honorary conductor," Yukimura said softly. He raised his eyes to meet hers, and he felt her gentle incredulity at his knowledge.

Her eyes softened. "So he is. I didn't expect you to know that." Seeing Megumi lift up her eyebrow in quiet suspicion, she decided it was better to change the subject. Haruka glanced at her watch and then said, "We'd better go, the movie's starting in five minutes."

**-x-**

A hot flash of jealousy burned in Megumi's heart as she saw and recognized the interest that Yukimura had for her friend. It wasn't fair - Haruka was not exceptionally prettier than the girls in their school, nor was she in the slightest interested in Yukimura, and yet she had made further progress than any of them had.

She wanted to ask Yukimura, "Do you remember me? You used to visit the flower shop every day. I worked over there for a while every afternoon..." but of course this was a silly thing to ask. She knew it was silly and stupid but she couldn't help it. She knew she was no better than the other girls who pined away for someone like Yukimura and she often loathed herself for that.

Regardless, she looked anxiously at her outfit, wondering if it was okay. She was wearing a short white skirt, a silk pink T-shirt with a bow attached on the right shoulder, and white wedges. A purse on her left shoulder completed the ensemble.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder. It was Yanagi.

"Coming?"

She nodded and passed a quick smile at him. She was glad he was here. When he held the door open for her, he said rather quietly, "You look nice today."

This for some reason banished the resentment she bore for Haruka. "Thank you," she said. "I didn't expect to see you today."

He smiled somewhat mysteriously. "I can't say the same." In a lower and more secretive voice, he added, "Yukimura seems to be bewitched with your friend."

The resentment came back. "How do you know? He's only talked to her for a few minutes."

"I've known him for a long time. He's attracted to challenges... to people who are a bit different."

Megumi had to stop herself from asking Yanagi, "Am I different?"

_Am I different from anybody else that likes Yukimura? Would he ever be interested in me, a shy and stupid girl? Could I muster the courage to talk to him? Would we have any common interests together? _

_Could **we** ever be together?_

**-x-**

It was strange, Yukimura thought to himself.

He was used to the aloofness and sense of coolness from Kasamatsu - some girls were like that, and he never paid much attention to them.

However, he wasn't at all familiar at the fear in her eyes. She wasn't a girl who was unusually afraid of him, nor could he could think of anything that he had done that would have warranted a reaction.

He noticed that Kasamatsu would look at him as soon as she thought he wasn't looking, study him, and then turn her eyes on Kurosawa. Then a furrow between her eyebrow would appear, as if she was thinking hard, and then it happened again.

He was a bit intrigued, perhaps even more than the fact that his friend and Kurosawa seemed to be talking pretty well together. Matchmaking duties aside, he was much more interested in his classmate. What was she thinking inside that strange head of hers? He didn't think she would answer him straightforwardly even if he asked her in a way that didn't intrude her privacy.

The seating arrangement was too calculated in his opinion. He was on the left. Yanagi was next to him. Kurosawa came next, and lastly came Kasamatsu.

_She_ sat the furthest away from him. Whether it came from an intrinsic dislike of him, or perhaps the confrontation in school about the confessing underclassmen, he had no idea.

**-x-**

The film was about a man and his to-be-wife visiting Paris. While the wife did not like Paris very much, the man did. And the man by some accident or another traveled back in time. In the early twentieth century, the man met famous artists and writers and playwrights, and he even fell in love with another woman. Only the catch was that she was from a different time period.

Yanagi was not overly fond of historical movies - he found that most of them were historically inaccurate and stifled with melodrama. He got bored around half an hour and dozed off, until a particularly loud scene disturbed his slumber. Rubbing his eyes, he looked around for Megumi and to his surprise neither she nor her friend were there.

Perturbed, but thinking they must have gone to the bathroom together (after all, girls tended to do that, didn't they?) he tried to focus back on the movie.

But try as he might, his thoughts drifted toward the girl he liked. He liked the way she walked, liked her kindness and her smile and the warmth in her eyes. He could tell Kurosawa was intelligent, but not in the same way that he was. He guessed it was her intuition and her gentle humor that he liked the best about her.

Fifteen minutes passed by, and he decided it was probably time to check out where they were. He knew this probably would look irrational and intrusive, but something must have happened for them to take that much time.

"I'm going to the bathroom," he said to Yukimura, who nodded, enthralled with the story taking place on the screen. At least _he_ was enjoying the movie.

He made his way down the corridors towards his destination. Suddenly, he heard two angry voices, clearly engaged in an argument. Was it a couple?

Curiosity piqued, he made his way stealthily towards the source of noise. Years of collecting data made him experienced towards eavesdropping on certain people.

_"I'm telling you, Megumi, he's going to hurt you -_ "

He registered Kasamatsu's voice. She seemed angry and almost fearful.

_"What if you're wrong? What if he says yes?"_

_"He likes someone else."_

_"How do you know? No one knows for sure!"_

_"Megumi, listen to me. Even if you've liked him for three years now, you're not going to be with him. I've seen what kind of person he is. He rejects every girl - it doesn't matter if you're pretty or smart or nice. It doesn't matter."_

There was a brief silence accompanied by a tension so thick someone could cut it with a knife. Then, Megumi accused her, _"So there **is** something going on between you and him."_

_"No, that's not it at all - "_

_"He's interested in you, Haruka. He says hello to you, even though you talk to him like you don't care about him. He doesn't do that for just anybody."_

_"That is bullshit, Megumi, and I swear I do not like him. There is nothing between us. **Nothing**. It's not my fault if he looks at me differently than you."_

_"Well maybe I don't believe you!" _Megumi said, and there was a crackle of anger in her voice._ "Maybe you brought him here on purpose, to make fun of me! Maybe you enjoy it when I stutter or act weirdly in front of him!"_

_"No, you're wrong. I would never - "_

Something stopped Haruka from speaking, for Megumi continued to speak with a controlled fury.

_"I was wrong to trust you... I admit it, I'm jealous; but it's like you don't even care or understand how I feel."_

_"Megumi, I care. That's why I keep telling you he's not right for you."_

_"You don't know that. Nobody knows that."_

_"Megumi - "_

_"Don't talk to me like you're mocking me! Because I know how you feel about people who like Yukimura - you think they're idiots! You always make fun of them."_

A dull weight fell into Yanagi's stomach, pushing him into a dark abyss.

He should have known.

For the first time in his life, he wished he didn't know so much.

**-x-**

It was only a silly infatuation, he kept telling himself. Obviously, this is how it was meant to end, and now I have my answer. At least I did not end up humiliated or rejected.

Now he was back in the dark comforts of the theater, his mind adrift. Everything seemed to be a blur to him.

His eyes took in the Parisian scenery, but his mind saw Kurosawa shouting the words, _"I know how you feel about people who like Yukimura - you think they're idiots!"_

They were not directed at her friend, but at him.

What did Yanagi Renji have that was better than Yukimura Seiichi?

Seiichi was better than him at tennis. Seiichi was better than him in art class and home economics. Seiichi was more well-liked and perceived as good-looking by people. Seiichi had more confessions of love than anybody else in school.

Renji had nothing to offer. Seiichi was better.

**-x-**

The girls came back shortly before the ending credits rolled down, and the four of them continued along with the audience to watch the entire segment. Such was the culture in Japan.

When the lights switched back on Yukimura seemed rather pleased. "That was a good movie."

"Yes," Megumi agreed. "I'm glad the main character had a chance for a new love." Yanagi noticed that her eyes were red and puffy, and he almost asked her what was wrong. Almost.

Then he remembered who she liked. The thought was similar to an icicle sticking to his back.

The two girls departed quickly, both saying they had a good time, and it was now Yanagi was left alone with Yukimura.

"I know a good place for a tennis match," Yukimura said. "Can we meet in an hour's time?"

Quickly, before Yanagi even thought about it, the answer came curtly. "No."

Yukimura seemed a bit taken aback. "But you promised me a match with me for accompanying you today - "

"I had other plans. Sorry." Yanagi found a certain joy in lying to Yukimura. He knew he would pay for it, but right now he didn't care.

"Well - " Yukimura shrugged. "Okay. I was planning to train solo anyway."

It was then that a group of girls walked past the two. One of them actually gasped at the sight of Yukimura, squealing, "Ohmigosh, look, it's Yukimura-senpai!"

They quickly clustered around him, wanting to know which movie he had seen, who he was going with, if he had any plans this afternoon.

And that was the breaking point. Yanagi could not bear to see it anymore, this physical, tangible proof that Yukimura was certainly more attractive and alluring and altogether perceived as more desirable than him.

He ran and ran until he reached home. He couldn't hear Yukimura's voice calling out his name.

**-x-**

"You're a goddamn moron," Haruka said to her reflection in a nearby window.

She'd lost her best friend today, all over a boy she didn't even know very well.

The two of them had pretended that they were still friends in public. But that was a lie. As soon as they were out of Yukimura's sight, Megumi had crossed the other street, never looking back to Haruka.

It was her fault. Haruka should have known better than to caution Megumi about her long-time crush. Haruka knew Megumi couldn't help it, so why did she even bother?

Because you cared, she told herself. Because you knew that she deserves someone else than someone who lies to other girls about not wanting a relationship when he's too chicken-shit to tell them he already has one.

_And this is how she repays me._ _Maybe it's better to be separate from a person who doesn't appreciate what you're saying._

No. You're wrong. I should have told her at a more appropriate time.

_What time? The time after he rejects her affections and you tell her that he's a liar? What good would that do?_

I don't know, but I wished it had gone differently. I never wanted to hurt her._  
><em>

_The road to hell is paved with good intentions._

**-x-**

Yanagi woke up on Monday morning with a heavy heart. Although the lesson was enjoyable, he was glad when the bell rang, for then he was able to escape from people into the refuge of the library.

He experienced a moment of peace when he found a table to himself. Now he could escape into a different world. No matter if there were bad endings (and indeed, the Japanese were not overly optimistic in their own literature) there was something good about not having to think about reality for a while.

His older sister would have pointed out the irony in that again. _You deal with realities, keep them locked up in your head and calculate the percentages of everything and anything. What's the point of that, Renji?_

"Yanagi? Are you listening to me?"_  
><em>

Lost in his thoughts, he realized with a start that Kurosawa had taken a seat across his table. Her lustrous hair fell on her lovely shoulders and her smile was bright.

"You're daydreaming again, Yanagi-san. I knew I would find you here."

"Hello." He closed the book he hadn't been reading and looked up.

It came as an unpleasant revelation that he still found her beautiful, full of sunshine and good humor. Heartbreak had a lot of things to explain. He shouldn't have to feel so paradoxical around a person.

"I finished _Silence_, you know," she said, and slid the novel back on the table, towards where he was sitting. "You were right. It was really good."

He stared at the cover, not wanting to look at her eyes. "Really? I'm glad to hear it."

Three weeks ago, she wouldn't have known his name. Almost a month - a month which had passed almost blissfully into nothingness except for the feelings he had felt so intensely for her.

Although... she must have noticed something, as her smile faded. "Is there something wrong, Yanagi-san?"

Yes. Tell me that our friendship isn't just that, friendship. Tell me that you don't like Yukimura. Tell me that everything that I just saw and heard and felt that other day was made-up. Tell me that I'm wrong, even when I know that I'm right.

"I have a headache. I'll have to go to the nurse's office." Yanagi lied, and he brushed past her shoulder to leave the library. Megumi looked disappointed.

_I'm okay. I can do this. I'm fine._

"Wait, Yanagi-san!"

It took him an enormous amount of willpower to turn back. "What is it, Kurosawa-san?"

"Take this."

She gestured for him to give his palm. When he did, she put two capsules of aspirin in his hand.

"It wouldn't be good to sit through class with a headache, or skip it either."

"... Thank you," he said slowly. "I'll take them later."

"I get headaches in school too," she confided. "I hope you feel better."

He could only smile in return.

-x-

Later, Megumi would wonder why his smile seemed so ironic at the time - until he started avoiding her. That was when everything went wrong.

* * *

><p>an: I'm going on a trip to Europe for two weeks tomorrow. I hope you enjoyed this update, and if you did, I hope you can grant me the pleasure of a review. :)

As always, constructive criticism is appreciated and welcomed.


	8. the paradoxes

**a/n**: I'll just tell you writing this chapter was like... running a marathon. It was awful.

So, who else has read "Breaking Point" by Neon Genesis? If you haven't, you should probably check it out. You know, after you read this chapter.

* * *

><p><strong>Last Chance<strong>

8. _the paradoxes_

The morning was dewy and fresh as Haruka began to get ready Tuesday morning for school. She put her black blazer on, slipped her bento box into her book bag, and slid her feet into her shoes as she uttered a goodbye to her mother.

She waited for two minutes under the stairs of her apartment before she finally remembered that Megumi wasn't likely to walk with her anymore.

Haruka sighed. It was lonely walking by herself yesterday morning. She was too used to having a companion in the morning.

She walked across the bridge to the street. It was fifteen minutes to walk to school, which was a shorter commute than some of her classmates, but it still felt like a long time for Haruka to be toting a heavy bag over her shoulder. The sun was beginning to shine, making the air hotter and drier, and she walked quickly so that she would arrive on time.

Stopping at the shoe lockers, she slipped into her _uwabaki_ and placed her leather pleats into her compartment. As she did so, she accidentally made eye contact with Megumi. She was walking with another girl, someone who lived near Haruka's apartment complex.

And it was then that Megumi spared one cold glance at her, making Haruka feel very small. Then she turned her head and walked away with her other friend, as if she did not want to engage in further contact with Haruka.

Haruka bit her lip, trying not to feel unhappy. _It's not my fault_, she thought to herself. _She's the one who made all those assumptions._

She slammed her shoe locker harder than she intended to. _It's not my fault, it's not my fault, it's not my fault._

"Ohayou, Kasamatsu-san."

Blue haired boy. Beautiful smile. Dark blue eyes. Handsome.

_It's not my fault._

"Ohayou, Yukimura-san," she said, giving him a small smile to be polite. She saw a few girls whispering.

_Go away_, Haruka pleaded in her head. _Don't gossip about this_.

"I had fun last Sunday. We should go to movies more often."

The whispers intensified.

"I don't know," Haruka said, biting her lips. "I didn't really like the movie that much."

She walked away. She hoped somebody else would have come up, divert his attention, but instead he caught up to her, walking next to her.

"Maybe I'll find another one that you'll like - and then we can go together."

_No. No. No. This isn't happening to me_, Haruka thought. Her eyes widened, and her mouth was open, but Yukimura only laughed, entering the classroom before she did.

-x-

It wasn't that Yanagi tried to listen, he really didn't mean to. He was studying a little bit to get a head start on his entrance exams, since he was planning to enter a university ten months from now.

But it was a free period, and that meant there was time for idle conversations.

... Especially from the female gender.

"Ne, did you hear?"

"What?"

"Apparently, Yukimura-san went on a date a few days ago!"

Yanagi dropped his pencil. Ducking his head under his desk, his ears were poised to listen.

"Whaaaaat? With who?"

"Well, I got this from Kinoshita-san, but she swore she heard him talking to Kasamatsu-san about a movie. They have to be dating, otherwise, what else would they have done together?"

"Really? Now that you mention that, she does seem refined - "

"She's refined, rich, and I heard she's planning to enter into Julliard after graduating," finished the first girl, shaking her head. "We can't compete with that."

"Not to mention, she travels twice a week to Tokyo for private lessons..."

They went outside to get lunch, while Yanagi digested this with interest, eyes no longer focused on his notes.

_So I guess you've moved on, Seiichi. Congratulations._

Another voice, once again, interrupted his thoughts.

"Megumi-chan, where are you going?"

"Bathroom."

He wasn't half sure why he risen up thirty seconds later.

To comfort her? That was ridiculous. He needed distance from her. To see her would be a painful reminder of his failure.

Yet his feet followed, defying logic.

Her hair masked her face, and he wondered how she felt.

Pain, like he had felt when he had stumbled across her long-cherished secret?

Or was it jealousy? He knew the other girl was an old friend of Kurosawa's.

He still followed her, awaiting. She had stopped on the staircases, indicating she was about to ascend to the school rooftop. He waited, until he saw she had slipped through the door.

He climbed the stairs slowly. Then, with a cool precision that came with years of athletic training, he slowly unhinged the door so there would be no sudden noise to give away his presence.

Kurosawa's face was pressed to the fence that marked the boundaries of the rooftop. His heart, even in pain, had still noticed her warmth and femininity.

_Stop it, Renji_, he told himself. _This is indecent. This is private._

But he couldn't tear his eyes away.

Not when she slid to the floor, weeping. Not when her tears stained the ground, not when she knelt on her knees like that.

He suddenly remembered the look on her face when he had told her Yukimura showed signs of interest in her friend. Distraught, jealous, insecure.

He'd been an idiot. Although he had only worked with the information given to him at the time, it wasn't the same.

Yanagi could only step back, turn the doorknob, and return to his classroom. It shouldn't have been any of his business... Yet a lingering pain persisted on his chest, perhaps more so than his own heartbreak.

When he saw Kurosawa coming back to the class, cheerfully greeting her friends, his only response was to grip his pen tighter.

_I can't interfere with her happiness. Her pain is greater than mine._

-x-

"Seiichi."

Yukimura acknowledged Yanagi's greeting with a small nod. It was a sign of respect for the Master to call others by their first name, rather than a sign of intimacy.

They began to exit the campus; it was after practice. The sun was still high on the horizon, but that was not unusual for early June.

"I've heard some rumors."

"Oh?"

Yanagi decided it was better for him to be upfront. "Is there something between you and Kasamatsu?"

Yukimura paused. His yellow jersey still hung from his shoulders, a symbol of his power and leadership. Involuntarily, Yanagi felt a prickle of envy; he was constantly reminded of how much better his friend was.

"It's rare for you to be listening to silly rumors."

Yanagi smiled, but only briefly. "It's for the pursuit of data."

"Regardless, a personal question like that doesn't have anything to do with tennis."

"It comes in handy. Although I suspect you're stalling."

"I might be," Yukimura said, and he was a little amused. "I find her interesting. She's very guarded."

"Interesting - how?"

"One day, we're talking like friends. The next day, she'll shut down, and she gets that look in her eyes like she feels guilty for talking to me."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Girls usually aren't hard to understand - everything is motivated by emotion, if not occasionally logic."

"Do you think it's because she has a friend who is in love with you?"

"Renji, you're unusually serious about this," Yukimura was amused. "Why are we even talking about this anyways?" He started to laugh at the sheer absurdity of it.

"Don't laugh!" Yanagi snapped. "You and your _perfect_ life - always taking for granted how easy it is to be loved, but never understanding what it's like have your love unrequited - "

His hands were white from balling them into tight fists. "You make me sick."

He'd realized, too late, that he told him too much. But you could never take back words, just like you could never take back points your opponent had already won from your mistakes.

Yukimura just looked at him, eyes wide and silent, half wondering if he had gone mad. The Renji he knew would have never been bitter, or so unguarded.

Yanagi was too prideful to apologize, and so he only walked forward, in the direction of his house. Yukimura stood in one spot, watching Yanagi turn the corner with his long, purposeful strides.

He took out a package from his pocket. A beautiful fountain pen had been wrapped securely, the kanji of Yanagi's name embossed on the lid with silver. He had bought it for Yanagi's birthday.

Yukimura began to walk again, throwing the pen in the trash.

-x-

"This is how richochet works. You bounce it naturally on the bow, but you have to find the ideal spot on the bow first. It should be equally balanced so that there's enough leverage to continue the movement."

And sure enough, Haruka began to demonstrate the proper technique on her violin by performing Paganini's Caprice No. 1.

The underclassmen were awestruck once she was finished with the first phrase.

"That's senpai for you, playing Paganini like it's nothing!"

"She's better than any of those stuck-up snobs from Hyotei!"

She quietly smiled at their enthusiasm. "Why don't you all try it at home - the measure that I specified - and I'll listen to you next time we meet. Until then, you're dismissed for today."

Her section quickly agreed, and a good sort of satisfaction filled the room. She untightened the nut of her bow, so that the bow hair wouldn't be stretched out further than necessary. She then carefully packed her violin and shoulder rest with the utmost care after wiping the dust residue from the rosin she had rubbed onto her bow.

"Haruka-senpai?" One of her section members was waiting besides her.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Is it true that you and Yukimura-senpai are dating?"

Her back straightened faster than a shot. Whipping her head and talking in a volume perhaps too loudly than the situation demanded it, she responded with a shocked "No! What makes you think that?"

"I - I heard some rumors that last Sunday - "

"That was a COINCIDENCE," Haruka said, clicking her violin case shut. "I happened to meet him and Yanagi-san, and he suggested we go as a group. That was all."

"But th-they said he walked with you and asked if you were interested in seeing another one with him - "

"I never gave him an answer! And that doesn't mean we're dating!" Haruka wanted to pull her hair out. God, what a mess of trouble this was. It was all Yukimura's fault.

"Oh. Well - I'm sorry!" The underclassmen bowed deeply. "Forgive me for misunderstanding, senpai!"

Now Haruka was beginning to feel exasperated. "Don't apologize for something like that! Just go already."

The door finally slid closed with a snap, and Haruka allowed herself the luxury of a sigh once the room was empty. "God, I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

She slipped her violin case on her shoulder, and with the keys her conductor had entrusted her to keep, she locked the door. Making her way down to the corridors of the campus, she was still relieved to see the gates open. Her legs hastened to exit, and soon she was on her way.

As soon as she arrived at her destination, she took a deep breath to compose herself.

Then her fingers pressed on the doorbell.

A mature woman opened the door. "Ah, Haruka-san."

"Good evening, Kurosawa-san. I was wondering if I could talk to Megumi for a few minutes."

"Of course - I'll go get her."

"Wait!" Haruka cried out, panicking for a second. The woman looked in alarm, while Haruka apologetically bowed. "P-please - don't tell her that I'm here."

Looking unsure for a second, the woman nodded. The door closed.

Haruka was biting her lip before Megumi finally swung the door. Her head had been turned partially, ostensibly confused as to why her mother wouldn't tell her the identity of the supposed guest before her eyes reached Haruka.

But when they finally met Haruka's, they turned icy cold.

"What do you want?"

"To apologize."

"Why?"

"I hurt your feelings. I - I just wanted you to know, I didn't mean it."

"Did he mean it, when he said he was interested in seeing you again?"

"I didn't - "

"Because if he did, I don't want to be a third wheel. I like him too much for me to comfortably see you with him."

"Goddammit, those were just rumors! Megumi, listen to me."

Her friend already placed one hand on the doorknob. "I'm done listening to you, Haruka. Goodbye."

"Wait, Megumi - !"

The door slammed in her face.

-x-

Haruka took a bath, and submerged herself into the water.

Her life was ironic, she thought to herself. Even though warmth surrounded her body, she felt vulnerable and exposed.

She had lots of friends but she couldn't keep her closest. She had a family but she was isolated from everyone else. She had expectations, but it was impossible for her to keep them all.

Moisture welled up in her eyes, and she angrily banished them away with a quick swipe of her hands.

I am not going to cry, she reminded herself. Tears were a waste of time.

Yet the guilt of being unable to reconcile with Megumi overwhelmed her. They had been friends since middle school. They had supported each other from the beginning, and they had taken the Rikkaidai entrance exam together.

Haruka had wanted to go to Hyotei at first. They had a much better musical department, and her father was wealthy enough to support his daughter.

Yet Megumi had convinced her to stay home, and to continue her education in the Kanagawa Prefecture.

And Haruka had stayed.

Rikkaidai's music department was pathetic. She took things into her own hands, starting her own chamber music groups before it gradually involved an adult educator. Then it became a full-fledged orchestra, and she had evolved as a leader.

Megumi had always supported her when her parents themselves had questioned the worth of Haruka's dreams. Compared to her older brother, everything paled to his acheivements. He was supposed to go to a prestigious university, but he disappeared.

And Megumi... She was supposed to be in her class. At least for the last year of high school. What had happened?

Yukimura did. He sat next to her, wedging his presence in her life without her noticing. Unintentionally, he had been a cause for the friendship to end, but that was only the beginning, not the in-between variables that had ended it well and truly.

"Haruka!" Her mother rapped on the bathroom door, jolting the girl out of her reverie. "Hurry up, you've been in there for an hour!"

"Okay!" she replied, rising out of the bathtub. Water dripped down from her body, and she noticed her fingers resembled dried prunes. Only her callouses, acquired from hours of practice, remained the same shape.

Drying herself, she took a look at herself in her mirror. The fog made it blurry, and she wiped away the water. Her reflection came into focus, and she saw her double, looking grim and serious.

She tried to smile, but every attempt looked terrible. She gave it up and changed into clean clothes.

-x-

"Pretty, isn't it?" Yukimura said, examining a drawing of microrganisms under the microscope. Today their classes was a double period of biology and chemistry, and he had asked her to be his partner.

Haruka had stopped fighting the reality of the situation. It was pointless to alienate more people at this rate. When people continued to pester her about her ambiguous relationship to Yukimura, she only told them politely that it was none of their business.

"Yes, I suppose they can be pretty," she said.

"Do you ever realize that many things happen in paradoxes? The shape of these microrganisms are beautiful, but they're ugly because they've taken away the lives of so many people." He held the glass slide to the sunlight.

Haruka thought about it. "You're right." Her life was one big paradox.

She had taken Megumi for granted as a friend until Megumi had severed ties with her. She had never liked Yukimura as a boy, but she was the closer to him than any of the other girls. Her brother was the valedictorian of an elite and prestigious school, but now he was a college dropout.

Haruka lifted her eyes up to Yukimura, and knew instantly that he was troubled. The quiet furrow in his brow, the inconsistent tapping of his pencil - something was off-kilter.

"I can finish the assignment," she offered, taking the lab paper away from him. He smiled.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing," she said. "You?"

"Well - " He hesitated for second. "I usually don't like talking about people behind my back, but - how good are you friends with Kurosawa-san?"

Her throat constricted. She had to compose herself before answering.

"Kasamatsu-san? Are you - are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she said, even though there was a lump in her throat. "I guess - I guess we're pretty good friends."

"Does she have any romantic interests?"

"I can't tell you that," Haruka said. "You should ask her that directly, it's not my place to tell."

Inwardly, she was panicking. What did this mean? Was Yukimura interested in her?

"I see. I suppose I shall."

Haruka's pencil clattered, dropping off the table. She ignored this. "Wait, why?"

"Because I'm curious. She made one of my friends very upset."

"Who?"

Yukimura smiled. "I can't tell you that. Secret for a secret."

Haruka narrowed her eyes. "What are you going to do to her?"

"Nothing." He chuckled. "You're making me out like a serial killer. I'm not like that, honest."

Haruka picked up her pencil, and started to fill out the lab.

Uneasiness filled her stomach. She knew that he was a charming and charismatic individual when he wanted to be, but he - he still held an assumption that people would bow and aquiesce to his propositions. She had seen him command people twice his age before.

Megumi was not a weak person by all means, but Yukimura had made it sound like he was out for vengeance. To be disliked by the person you liked - Haruka knew it was horrible.

After all, she had gone through the same thing.

-x-

"Kurosawa-san, good morning."

That voice. She would have recognized it anywhere. Heart fluttering, she turned around to see Yukimura Seiichi looking at her.

"M-morning," she answered shyly. A blush had already crept onto her neck.

"Are you free this afternoon?"

Her mouth fell open. Collecting herself, she willed herself to be calm. "I am. Why?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to meet me for coffee - I want to know you better."

-x-

* * *

><p>an: Yeah yeah, I know Yanagi and Megumi are bipolar in this chapter. But that's okay because they'll end up together. :D Next chapter - Haruka slaps Yukimura. I think. It might depend on how it works out.

As always, please review! Constructive criticism is appreciated. A lot of people have been telling me they enjoy the YanagiOC aspect better, so I hope the next chapter will convince you that the YukimuraOC part is just as interesting.


	9. the exchange of words

**a/n**: Yanagi's birthday is on the June 4th. Summer vacation in Japan starts late July, so we'll have a while before we can get to fireworks and seeing people in swimsuits and Kantou Tournaments and... lol. I'm getting ahead of myself, aren't I?

Thanks to all the people who have sent me AMAZING reviews! :)

* * *

><p><strong>Last Chance<strong>

9. _the exchange of words  
><em>

_"I was wondering if you wanted to meet me for coffee - I want to know you better."_

Megumi couldn't sleep. Part of her was slightly excited, but the other part of her was a nervous wreck. She rolled out of bed for the third time, turned on her light, and examined the makeup she had laid out for next afternoon.

Should she go with a peachy or pink lipstick? These decisions could determine the entire outcome of this. Rummaging in her makeup bag, she pulled out a tube of lip gloss the color of peonies. Perhaps this one was better, since it was more sheer. But weren't they were having coffee? It would come off, wouldn't it?

She sighed. She put the lip gloss back into the bag, and told herself to get a grip, that it might lead to nothing.

Yet a little part of her was hopeful. It was best to look as pretty as she could.

She parted her long black hair and started to brush through them again. She had given herself a blow-dry to make her hair voluminous and glossy, but still - a doubt persisted in her mind. Maybe he had asked her to find out information about Haruka, since he presumed they were friends.

Her hand tightened around the hairbrush, and she finally put it down. A flicker of anger flared in her heart. She forced herself to stop thinking about her former friend, otherwise she wouldn't get any sleep.

-x-

Haruka had thought it suspicious when Yukimura had left the classroom the earliest out of all of them, but it was nothing compared to when she looked out of the classroom window and saw him walking next to Megumi after school had ended.

Alarm bells rang through her head. She stuffed her books and blazer jacket into her bag, and walked as fast as she could to her shoe lockers. Switching shoes as quickly as possible, she was about to head out the doors before a very strong arm pulled her back.

"Wait," a very quiet and masculine voice said. She turned her head to see Yanagi Renji behind her.

"Why?"

"If you want to convince her that you are her friend, you wouldn't be interfering with this."

"How did you know... ?"

"They don't call me the Data Master for nothing," Yanagi said, a hint of irony in his smile. Haruka suppressed a shudder.

"He's planning something, isn't he? It's not what she's thinking."

"Perhaps. But I think Kurosawa-san is happy for now. Who am I - or rather, you - to walk over there and accuse them of something suspicious?"

"But I _know_ Yukimura. He's doing something because - because he said that she upset one of his friends."

"Did he?" Yanagi raised an elegant eyebrow. "That's very noble of him."

"Noble?" Haruka said incredulously. Then she realized who she was talking to, and lowered her voice. "With all respect, Yanagi-san, I don't agree. He's a person who has to arrange things to his liking, and if my friend has done something that must have been completely unintentional, I do not want him to upset her. "

"I doubt Yukimura is doing this pointlessly," Yanagi said, although his voice made it sound like he agreed with her. "I wouldn't worry. Have a good day, Kasamatsu-san."

He pushed one of the doors open, and left.

-x-

Yukimura had cut him out from the roster for the Districts tournament. Although Yanagi had said nothing, given no reaction to it, everybody else had noticed. Even Sanada had asked Yukimura about his decision, but Yukimura had replied mildly, "I would prefer Renji to take notes on our opponents."

With another sickly sweet smile, he had added, "I can't exactly forget the absymal performance he had given a few weeks ago."

The entire team had been surprised, but Yanagi had already calculated the possibilities of Yukimura retaliating in such a manner. Even though it was an obvious abuse of power, Yanagi had to admire the subtlety of his captain. To have the capability to rein in an entire team of Nationals-level athletes without using brute force or hostility demonstrated the psychological power of Yukimura's leadership.

In a show of mocking empathy, Yukimura had given Yanagi less strenuous excercises, as he wouldn't be playing in an official tournament for at least a month.

Yanagi hadn't been angry then - he had thought he had fully deserved his punishment. If he had said something equally distasteful to Sanada, he would have been subjugated to a powerful slap that would have resulted in a bruise lasting for days.

But he couldn't help being _furious_ when he saw Yukimura meeting Kurosawa at the school gates. What was the point? Was it to spur his anger to forget his emotions?

Did Yukimura even suspect that the girl he liked held strong feelings for someone else? Someone else being Yukimura himself?

He would have flown out of the doors in a blind rage had he not recognized another person also fixating on stopping the two.

It was Kasamatsu Haruka.

His mind put two and two together. It was strange, but when he had calmed down to think about it, the anger began to dissipate.

He realized he could not ruin the happy expression of Kurosawa upon seeing the person she liked best. Even if the person she happened to like was someone like Yukimura.

And automatically his arm grabbed the shoulder of Haruka.

"Wait," he said.

He was not surprised to see a look of shock and panic on the girl. And interestingly, there was a mutual exchange of understanding between them.

"Why?"

"If you want to convince her that you are her friend, you wouldn't be interfering with this."

A look of wonder crossed her eyes. "How did you know... ?"

"They don't call me the Data Master for nothing," he had replied, almost arrogantly, even though it had been a complete coincidence that he had stumbled on that particular conversation.

"He's planning something, isn't he? It's not what she's thinking."

She was awfully perceptive, this girl was. Yanagi began to understand why Yukimura found her fascinating, even though at first glance he would have gleaned nothing from her personality.

"Perhaps. But I think Kurosawa-san is happy for now. Who am I - or rather, you - to walk over there and accuse them of something suspicious?"

"But I _know_ Yukimura. He's doing something because - because he said that she upset one of his friends."

Inwardly, Yanagi tucked this piece of information in his head, but outwardly, he gave no perceivable reaction. "Did he? That's very noble of him."

"Noble?" Kasamatsu's voice grew higher, and then her face became more blank, as if she was trying to conceal how she felt. "With all respect, Yanagi-san, I don't agree. He's a person who has to arrange things to his liking, and if my friend has done something that must have been completely unintentional, I do not want him to upset her. "

"I doubt Yukimura is doing this pointlessly," Yanagi replied, although he was half convinced Kasamatsu heard his own skepticism. He, too, believed that Yukimura was not doing this out of hospitality.

But that was no longer up to his control. He merely ended the exchange with an insincere shrug, a polite "Have a good day," leaving the campus shortly after.

He hoped that the brief conversation had bought Kurosawa a few minutes alone with Yukimura. That was all he could do for her right now.

-x-

Yukimura was beautiful, Megumi thought to herself. His physicality, the lightness and the ways his eyes made a person feel...

She was on cloud nine.

He seemed so interested in what she had to say, and slowly, she began to regain some of her old self back. It was as if she was talking to an old friend, and not a gorgeously perfect specimen of the opposite sex.

The small conversation they were having went well. Yukimura had kept his eyes on her the entire time, and before she knew it, the minutes had passed and he was opening a door for her.

She entered the small coffeeshop - it was cute and perfect for a date. This entire day had been like a dream.

"Yukimura-san, do you remember... ?" she trailed off, wondering whether she should continue the thought. Perhaps he wouldn't remember.

But it was too late. His bright blue eyes looked into hers and his voice was light. "Remember what, Kurosawa-san?"

"I used to work for a small gardening shop. You visited almost every afternoon."

"Oh - oh yes." A smaller smile graced his face, and Megumi had to avert her eyes to keep from blushing again. "Do you remember my favorite flowers?"

"Gardenias. Daffodils." The answer came easily to her lips. "But sometimes you bought tulips - fresh ones. Not the bulbs."

"You have a good memory." He looked out of the window, the distant view providing him the image of the seashore. "Yes, I used to buy tulips."

"But not to grow, am I right?"

"Yes. They were for my girlfriend at the time."

Megumi grew silent at this, trying not to let the disappointment define her expression. "I see. Are you... are you still together with her?"

"Metaphorically or literally?"

Her smile faltered a bit. "I don't know what you mean."

His expression betrayed nothing, and his smile was a little mischievous. "Well, how about I say that's sort of something for me to know, and for others to find out. Hm?"

Before she could answer back, the waitress had interrupted their conversation to place their ordered beverages on the table. Yukimura's bottle of mineral water was poured accordingly into a glass, and Megumi stirred her iced coffee around with her spoon.

It tasted bitter. Too bitter. Somehow everything seemed a little strange... as if she had no place being in front of him.

"Yanagi has talked a lot about you."

"Really?"

"Yes... he met you in the library, didn't he?"

"Oh yes. Lately, he's been ignoring me though."

Now Yukimura's eyes were picking up interest. "Hmm... Why?"

"I don't know. I guess - it's weird, you know. He's the one who asked me not to ignore him once we were finished with the project, but..." At this, she sighed.

"How did he use to act around you at first?"

"He used to be so serious, but sometimes I could make him laugh. I always liked his laugh. And I saw his eyes open naturally, and I thought - I thought it would have been nice if he could do it more often."

"You must be special. Not everyone can do that."

"Oh no, we're just friends... He's very talented with literature. Actually, he's just really smart in general, but he never really shows it off."

Yukimura laid his head on his hand. "Well... What if I told you that he liked you, and because of that reaction, he's ignoring you?"

Megumi's reaction was instantaneous. "No. No way. That's... that's not possible. Besides, I like someone else. It wouldn't work. I mean - he's so analytical, and precise, and exact."

Yukimura smiled. "Okay, but I'm saying this hypothetically. Maybe he has arrived at the same reason as you have."

"Yukimura-san, this isn't funny if you're joking around."

"I'm not. But hypothetically, I still think it could work out."

"No - " Megumi shook her head. "No. I know it wouldn't work out - I'm so stupid, and he probably wouldn't care to stay with me - and he'll be doing brilliant things. It's just - impossible."

"I would be careful of your words," Yukimura said lightly. "Impossible spells out _I'm possible_ - did you know that?" He took out his wallet, laid out the exact amount of money and tip, and called the waiter to pick up the bill.

"Yukimura-san - " Megumi rose from her chair, not knowing what to say to him.

"It was lovely meeting you. I enjoyed it very much," he said, grasping her hand and shaking it. "And I think - no, I _know_ - why people find you endearing. You're a very cute girl."

Megumi, under any other circumstances, would have blushed upon hearing those words from the person she liked the best.

But this afternoon had been so strange, that she had to think over the entire conversation again. It was as if - as if Yukimura had never treated her as a girl, never would have looked twice upon her if it weren't for Yanagi.

She was still standing after the door closed behind him.

-x-

"Onii-san, there's someone at the door for you." The familiar voice of his sister roused him from an early nap, and Yukimura splashed some cold water before coming to greet whoever this late-night visitor was.

"Tell them I'm coming."

"It's a girl."

"Oh? That's rare."

"Yeah..." Shizuko scratched her head. "Honestly, she seemed a little scary. I mean, who walks at night just to talk to you?"

Yukimura wiped his face with a clean towel. "Well, back me up if I get shot."

Shizuko rolled her eyes, and he couldn't help swatting his sister playfully on the head. "I'm kidding."

He opened the door to find a very familiar brown haired girl with a scar on her eyebrow. And without saying anything, he closed the door before turning to her.

"Ah. Kasamatsu-san - "

She slapped his cheek, hard and quick. Yukimura had to smile a little bit.

"I deserved that, didn't I?" he said to himself.

"What did you do to Megumi?" Haruka said, and her eyes told him that she was taking no bullshit today. "Answer me truthfully, or you'll be sorry."

He wiped his mouth with his hand. "Why don't you ever trust me, Kasamatsu? All this hostility... "

"Because you're a liar and you manipulate people and you crush people when they get in your way. And she's my _friend_."

"That was me when I was fifteen. I'm not like that anymore."

"Then what are you?"

"You only see what you want to see... I stopped using the yips a long, long, time ago."

Yukimura's eyes were full of pity, and something in those electric, deep blue eyes caught her off-guard. "Someone made me promise I wouldn't use tennis or my capabilities to hurt people anymore. And I've kept that promise."

"Then - why... why would you set up a meeting with Megumi? Don't you know that - "

"Do I know she likes me? Yes." he said, as if it was the simplest thing in the world to understand. "She is beautifully easy to understand. You, however..."

The heat of his gaze made her step back. "You're a bit different from everyone else, aren't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Haruka said curtly, looking away from him.

"Can't we be friends - "

"Just leave me alone," Haruka said. "Stop - stop trying to figure me out. I've already got my own problems - "

"I know what it's like to have your life breaking apart," he said quietly. "Even if nobody else does. It's hard for people to understand, even your closest friends. They'll misconstrue your motives as selfish, and they won't see you as the person you used to be - "

"Stop it," she said, too sharply. She knew he noticed everything, and it was too much - too much for her to live safely without risking nothing.

"I can help you, Haruka," he said. It was the first time he had ever used her first name, but it made her heart ache.

"I have to solve my own problems by myself," she said. She pulled her coat tighter to her chest. "Goodbye. I'm sorry I ever misjudged you."

"You're the second one to fully understand that I'm not perfect," Yukimura said, and his smile was sad. "I can't blame you for thinking I never changed my old ways."

"What happened to the first?"

"She's dead." And with that final statement, he opened the door to let himself back into his home.

-x-

The bridge she took to her apartment back home brought Haruka to the horrible day where her brother was officially declared missing by the police.

Who knew where he was? He could be dead, kidnapped, or held in captivity. The uncertainty had built up an unbearable tension in her house, and it had been wearing on her nerves.

Her parents had started looking at her as if... As if she was there, to be a replacement for him. To fill in the gaps. To be the living embodiment of societal perfection, to be valedictorian, to become a doctor.

And the thoughts of throwing herself off the bridge had come back again.

Perhaps her brother, as light-hearted as he had once been, couldn't succumb to the pressure. The thought made her stomach clench.

"I can't do this without you, Onii-san," she said to the water rushing below here. "Okay? So if you're here - I really need you to come home."

Her outspoken prayer garnered no response, and she bit her lips.

"Okay. Fine. Take your time. But not too much time, okay? I'm trusting you to do the right thing. You can't just leave and escape your problems."

And she clasped her hands together, mumbling the rest of her unspoken prayers silently, kneeling on the bridge.

-x-

* * *

><p>an: I would like to make it really clear, that Yukimura has been observing Haruka very closely ever since the first day of school. He knows there's something off about her, but he can't put a finger on it. And his/her issues are not completely detailed in this chapter either.

And also... Shit's happened between middle and high school. That's why I like writing all of the chacters in a high school setting. I'm pretty sure not all of them continued to play tennis in high school, even if they're defying physics. xD

Hm. Well, there's not much else for me to say then to politely request you to REVIEW! :D


	10. the rain

a/n: why are you guys so awesome at reviewing. i mean, i have to go to SLEEP sometime instead of writing... So I realized how kind of stupid this story really is, but writing it is too much fun for me to care.

I know some of you find Megumi kind of annoying/dull/whatever, but I'll just point out that she was completely adorable in this chapter. She's quite girly in this story, but she can also be very compassionate. She makes lots of mistakes, but when she does, she always tries her best to fix the situation.

Also, for all purposes and intents, Mayuko is 21, badass, and a lab technician specializing in marine biology who lives in Yokohama but occasionally visits her _otouto_-kun from time to time. She's quite blunt, but she's equally as weird as Renji. In canon, she's actually younger than Renji but since I've already crucified so many of the canon characters I might as well do whatever. xD

* * *

><p><strong>Last Chance<strong>

10. _the rain_

"Cheer up, Renji. You look terrible."

Mayuko had taken him out to a bookstore for his birthday and offered to buy him whatever he wished. Unfortunately, he just looked sort of mechanical and dazed, which led them to sitting on a park bench next to a water fountain.

"Sorry," he said quietly, and he tried to smile for his older sister. Instead it made her frown.

"I bought you something from my stint in Sapporo," she said and tossed him a box of tea. "Thought you might like it."

He studied it for a brief moment. "This variety is a little bitter. Still, it's quite aromatic." His way of saying thanks, in other words.

"Suits your expression," she observed. Her hands were playing with a miniature Rubix cube at the end of her key chain. She was more of a puzzle person; she liked riddles and complicated toys. Renji on the other hand preferred analytical games because they were more straightforward.

"I haven't missed anything since the last weekend that I've been here, have I? If Yukimura's sick again..."

"He's not."

"Okay. So what's the problem?"

He said nothing.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

"Okay, we won't talk about it. Moving on. How's school?"

He shrugged. "Rikkaidai will win Districts two days from now."

"Of course," his older sister nodded.

"And I got the top scores in Japanese Literature - " and he stopped, because that had started the entirely complicated business of liking Kurosawa.

"Mmhmm," Mayuko said. She had achieved two sides of color now.

"And I saw a movie two weeks ago - " God, he was a masochist. Everything just seemed to be directed on a course to that girl. Pain clouded his heart.

This unfortunately caught his sister's attention. Her hazel eyes turned on him with fresh interest. "Really."

And suddenly everything came out. He told Mayuko her name, the fact that she was a fan of tennis, and the team, and cooking and the fact that she actually read a book on his recommendation and that her favorite color was yellow and that she exhibited all signs of a huge attraction of his friend and that it wasn't fair, goddammit -

"Woah there, Renji," Mayuko laughed, and it was like hearing silver bells ring in the breeze. His sister rarely laughed, and to hear it threw him into a minor state of confusion.

When her laughing subsided she patted his head, but not in a condescending way. It was more of a consoling, big-sister way, and it comforted him.

"I'm sure she'll get over Yukimura. Most of them did."

"She's been in love with for three years. I don't think she'll get over him easily."

"Maybe you'll be the one to make her forget about him," Mayuko said.

Her little brother looked at her, incredulous. "That's impossible."

"Oh, Renji, who knows? One day she'll find out that he's too far up to reach. Yukimura is going to be a professional tennis player someday, but you'll still be here. For her, maybe."

"I'm going to college, remember? Medical school, like our parents wanted to," Renji reminded her.

Mayuko rolled her eyes. "And our parents wanted me to be an office lady, marry someone rich before I turned twenty-five, and give up my ambition all for the pursuit of a family."

"Point taken. But you can still marry someone rich. They're still writing their wishes on the shrine every New Year's."

She ignored this, continuing to play with her Rubix cube until something else came to her mind.

"Didn't you tell me it was your dream to be a college professor specializing in Japanese literature?" Mayuko asked.

"That was when I was in middle school," Renji mumbled. "Things have changed."

"Not if you keep telling yourself that," his older sister said sagely. "Imagine, you and this girl, living a nice little apartment in downtown Tokyo or wherever you're teaching classes inside the university - "

"Mayuko, you're disturbed."

"I'm not. Just imagine it - and I'll be a spinster and spoil your kids rotten, and they'll call Auntie Mayuko whenever they can't beg for allowance money - "

He couldn't help it. He started to laugh, and it felt so good to let go of all the negative tension he couldn't stop. The mental image of his beautiful sister turning into a wrinkled hag was horribly jarring.

When his laughter subsided, Mayuko patted him on the back. "See, isn't this much better than cooping yourself up in your room? Granted, it's not like our parents are the most cheery people to go to when you're depressed."

"No, no they're not. They didn't understand why Yukimura cut me off the team... "

"Wait, what?"

"I said a few unpleasant things to him. Even though I don't regret it, I would have liked to play in an official match."

"That's... That's just horrible," Mayuko said, eyebrows furrowing in displeasure.

"It's fine," Renji said. "To be honest, I deserved it."

"Do you hate him?"

"No. That's just the way things are," he said. "I could never hate him. I just have to think he has a reason for doing his things and not because he finds it incredibly amusing."

"And what if this _is_ because he wants to see how you react?"

Renji looked up, and his eyes were dark. "Then he'll regret it."

-x-

"Yanagi-san, can we talk?"

He looked up from his cram school notes to notice a pretty raven-haired girl standing next to his desk. His stomach clenched. He wasn't in the mood for this, especially after seeing her deliriously happy with Yukimura.

"I'm busy," he said curtly.

"Yukimura-san told me you were ignoring me. I just wanted to know, from you, exactly why." Megumi crossed her arms together. "And we can have this discussion here in front of everyone in class, if you want."

"Fine," he said, a little irritated and, as much as he tried to deny it, excited. But he hid it well. "How about the library?"

"No, I don't want to be overheard." A key dangled from her fingers. "I'm one of the student monitors, so we can use the school rooftop."

"Fine."

The two walked up the doors, and he was reminded instantly of the memory of Megumi crying. Guilt punctuated his demeanor again, and he had to take a few deep breaths to be in control of himself again.

When the two arrived on top of the school, the afternoon was proving to be surprisingly humid. The clouds were looking dark and stormy. Eighty-six percent chance of raining, Yanagi absentmindedly noted in his head. It wasn't uncommon in the summer months for the Kanagawa prefecture to produce thunderstorms.

"So spill," Megumi said, a rather nice distraction from the weather. "You're the one who asked me not to ignore you after we had that project together - so why are you doing it to me?"

He didn't answer the question, preferring to ask Megumi a few of his. "Did you ever befriend me because I was a close friend of someone else?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"That day in the library - did you ask me to be your partner because I was friends with Yukimura?"

"What? No! Never - I only did it because I thought you could help me, and because you were - " She blushed. "You were nice. Nicer than you usually appear, anyway."

And then something else occurred to her. "And why would I care if you were friends with Yukimura? It's not like I make friends on that basis."

"But you like him," Yanagi pointed out.

"N-no. I don't - I'm not - "

"Spare me," he said, calmer than he felt. "I heard every word that you exchanged with your other friend. That day in the movie theater, do you remember?"

The color drained out of her face. "You've been eavesdropping on us. I can't believe you would do that."

"It doesn't matter how I would found out... just that I knew it, all along..." He looked up into the sky, amber eyes opened, and saw the tiny trickles of water turned into bigger drops of rain.

Megumi paid no attention to the weather. "It's none of your business who I like, Yanagi-san."

He stared at her, wondering. The rain was quickly soaking his hair, making it damp and flat. "It _is_ my business," he corrected her.

"Why?"

He had no recollection of knowing what had possessed him to do what he did first. Later, he would have wondered why he couldn't have told her, like some other decent person, or even ran away like a sane person would.

But no. He didn't do any of those things.

Instead, he had to lean closer, and kiss her. For three seconds.

He could feel her body stiffen, and he had withdrawn when he noticed her eyes staring in shock.

"Kurosawa - "

She shook her head, speechless. And there were tears in her eyes, but she wiped them angrily away before he could react.

He tried calling her name again. "Kurosawa-san, I'm - "

She ran down the stairs before he could finish his sentence. And when the door slammed close again, he murmured it again, more so to himself than anything else.

_"I'm sorry."_

-x-

Haruka opened the door to a soaked Megumi. Her usual braid was unkempt and her eyes were red and puffy.

"I'm sorry," was the first thing that came to her mouth. "You were right all along, Haruka. I wasn't thinking, and I regret everything I said."

"Come in," Haruka said, smiling for the first time in days.

-x-

Haruka's room was a little messy, but that was how it had always been. If her mother came and spotlessly cleaned it up once in a while, Haruka would silently find something to mar the perfection. But it was warm, and that was all Megumi cared right now.

Posters of Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, and Hillary Hahn decorated the wall. Classical CDs lay stranded on the floor and sheet music were marked up in colored ink.

Haruka tossed Megumi some sweatpants and a comfortable T-shirt. "It's best to get you out of your wet clothes," she observed, and gently pushed her friend towards the bathroom. "Why didn't you bring your umbrella?"

The door clicked shut. "I forgot it at home," Megumi said through the door, and Haruka smiled a little to herself. It must have been disastrous for someone as careful and meticulous as her to forget something as essential as an umbrella during the rainy summers.

She emerged out of the bathroom the same time that Haruka carried a tray of hot tea from the kitchen. Her braid had been unraveled, her hair damp, but at least it wasn't dripping. Megumi combed it through with her fingers.

"Sorry about the intrusion. Will your parents mind?"

"Don't worry about it."

Haruka deftly slid the door with her foot open and set the tray on her desk. Lifting the ceramic teapot to pour the hot beverage into a mug, she asked her friend, "Camomile tea okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine. Haruka... I was an idiot."

"It's okay. I mean - we were both in the wrong."

"No, I was stupid." Megumi said quietly. "I was stupid and ruined everything. I made assumptions I shouldn't have made. I even cried over the stupidest rumors. I don't even know why I'm not jumping off the cliff right now because of how _stupid_ I've been acting."

Haruka silently handed her a mug, waiting for her to elaborate. The rain was pounding on the windows, and yet the tea and a good friend next to her made everything cozy and warmer.

"I mean, you were right. And I let my feelings hurt other people. Even if it was unintentional, I - I never meant to do that. I'm sorry I got jealous of you and refused to see the truth."

"Apology accepted," Haruka said, even though she had forgiven Megumi long before today. "What happened for you to say all of this?"

"I was thinking - I was thinking about it so much it started to make sense." Megumi lifted her eyes up to meet Haruka's. "The fact someone kissed me today also helps."

Haruka, who had been in mid-sip, choked on her tea. Megumi was torn between laughing and pity, started to bite her lips so that no noise would come out. When Haruka finally recovered, eyes watering, she asked in a raspy voice, "Who?"

"Promise you won't tell anyone?"

"Of course." Haruka coughed to clear her throat. "Cross my heart, hope to die - yeah, I got that down."

Megumi smiled, before cupping a hand to Haruka's ears. "It was Yanagi-san."

Haruka almost choked on her tea again. Glaring at Megumi, she set it down on the table. "When was this?"

"Um... Lunch break?"

Her mouth fell open. "And you had to see him in class again."

"Yeah, well, it wasn't like I wanted to." Megumi massaged her temples. "I don't know what to do. How am I supposed to say, 'I'm sorry, I like someone else' when he already knows that _I_ like Yukimura-san, especially when he's one of his closest friends? I don't want to be the cause of something awful between them."

"Chances are, they already have," Haruka said grimly. "I heard someone say that Yanagi was cut from the roster for the Districts tournament."

"Who said it?"

"One of the underclassmen in my club was talking about it to a regular member of the girl's tennis team during passing period. I didn't think anything of it - but there's your answer."

"This is my fault," Megumi said, flopping onto Haruka's bed. "Haruka, let's move to New York City. I'll crash your dorm room when you get to Julliard."

"I can't do that yet, I haven't even sent in the preliminary audition tapes," Haruka said, although the idea was intriguing to say the least. "And your English sucks. New York City would be horrible for you."

Megumi mumbled something unintelligible in response.

Haruka grinned and got up to get snacks. When she returned, Megumi's head was still face down on her pillow.

"So where did Yukimura take you? You haven't told me anything about that."

Megumi sighed in a way Haruka would have labeled as 'melodramatic' had not it been of utmost interest to her. "It was lame. And weird. I think he has a girlfriend. And I think you were right about him being a little pushy, even if he's really hot. And perfect."

"Told you," Haruka said matter-of-factly.

"He told me that Yanagi liked me. I didn't believe it at the time, but... " Megumi sighed again, rolling on her back. "This sucks. I've had a crush on Yukimura since like freshmen year, but on the other hand this smart, athletic, and really nice guy has to kiss me _knowing_ that it wasn't going to work. And now we're probably never going to fix this and it's going to be awkwardly awkward and - " She paused in the middle of her rant to groan. "Why does my life _suck_?"

Haruka petted her friend on the shoulder. "It's not that bad. Maybe you can agree to be friends again."

She herself was making a mental note to talk to Yukimura again. She had a sinking feeling that he had was up to something strange, considering his means to manipulate others. Megumi aside, this had quickly become a problem between him and her.

She didn't like it. With her friends, she could hide parts of her life with ease, even to someone as cherished and close to her as Megumi. With someone as perceptive as Yukimura noticing every little detail, not a chance.

-x-

"Explain," her father asked coldly, later that evening.

The piece of paper laid on the table. They were the rankings that had come out the year before. Haruka hadn't shown him anything - for a reason.

She tried to focus on a spot on the wall. "I wasn't - I wasn't studying enough."

"Precisely," he said, displeased. "First you refuse to attend cram school, and now your rank is slipping. I think there's a correlation."

"But - "

"Don't argue with me!" he snapped. "If your brother weren't goddamned missing, _you_ wouldn't be living here. You need to transfer to a school where you can be on the top."

She remained silent.

"Do you see this? You're number forty-three." He pushed the paper towards her face, like she wasn't capable of understanding what he said. "You're not even at the top of your homeroom class."

She saw Yukimura Seiichi's name at the top of the list. Suddenly her mouth felt dry, like she had swallowed a bitter medicine.

"If I don't see improvement after your mid-term exams," and here he ripped the paper into halves - "I'm going to the school principal, disband that silly organization of yours - " now it was fourths - "cut off all your lessons," - eighths - "and return that awful instrument of yours where it belongs."

"Understood?" he thundered, glaring at her.

"Yes, sir."

"I'm going back to work," her father said. "You'd better be studying when I get home."

"Okay," she said mechanically.

Rules. She hated them. Not that she didn't abide by them, but she hated them anyway.

-x-

The cat had escaped from their house again, the third time since last May. Mayuko had split the work by telling him to look in one direction while she looked in the other. The black umbrella he carried with him was doing a good job of keeping him dry, but it was still a bit cold outside.

Yanagi sighed to himself, wondering if it was worth the time he put into looking for what used to be a stray animal. Data had proved him inconclusive minutes ago, and now he was resigned to walk through every neighborhood, ringing bells at random and asking if anyone had seen a ginger cat.

As he approached a brightly lit supermarket, he noticed a girl in yellow boots and a yellow raincoat exiting out of the building with a few bags dangling on her arm. She was carrying an umbrella just like his in one hand. The other held a cat.

"Shinji!" he said, recognizing the animal. As he quickly sped up to meet with the girl, he hadn't noticed who she was.

But when he did, he really, really, wished he had. He could have melted into a puddle, and he wouldn't have cared.

"Oh is this your... " She turned to him and then laughed a little awkwardly. "Well um... Hi, Yanagi-san."

"Hello."

He wished he could just run away, but that wasn't an option. If he was Sanada, maybe it would be justifiable before committing hara-kiri, but right now it still wasn't the right thing to do.

"About yesterday - "

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that, and please just forget that ever happened," he said. "It was a very inappropriate thing to do. Please forgive me."

Megumi was still holding the cat in her arms, and for some bizarre, unfathomable reason, she was smiling. "I can't forgive you for that, nor can I forget it. It was my first kiss."

She handed him the cat. "I still like Yukimura, as bad as it sounds. So I'm sorry I can't return your feelings."

He nodded. "I know."

"But I still think we can be friends. Right, Shinji?" she said to the cat, petting the animal between the ears. At Yanagi's horrified expression, she had to giggle. "I was kidding. I meant you."

The cat purred.

Retracting her hand, Megumi stepped back and said, "Well, see you in school tomorrow."

He nodded again and they went off in seperate directions.

"Wait, Yanagi-san!"

He turned back.

"I'm sorry Yukimura cut you off from the roster. I wanted to see you play again!" After this, she waved him goodbye.

Slowly but surely, the corners of his mouth began to tilt upwards.

He was beginning to feel better.

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><p>an: So much fluff. This is my compensation for the drama yesterday. I know you guys are more curious about, say, Yukimura's girlfriend, so you'll just have to wait until next chapter. I was planning to name her "Nagai Sachiko" but that would be too funny...

As always, please review! Dude, when you review, it seriously gives me some extra energy to write. So bring them on, man. I'm pumped.


	11. the black sheep

**a/n**: Congratulations to Haruka Doi, who placed 3rd place in the Buenos Aires 2012 Violin Competition! See any coincidence, guys? (because I do, lol)

I just realized that in one of the earlier chapters, Yukimura has the option of using the yips against his match with Yanagi. Please disregard the plot hole. :'D And also, I watched the Shin Tenipuri OVA 2 (no subs though, which is unfortunate) and Yukimura has a really freakin' nice room. So I'm just going to assume he comes from a family who is wealthy. Canon states his father works for an advertising agency.

Finally as a counterbalance to last chapter, this chapter heavily focuses on Yukimura/Haruka.

* * *

><p><strong>Last Chance<strong>

11. _the black sheep  
><em>

Haruka had arrived home from school to find her mother writing something on a notepad on the table. An ashtray rested next to her mother's elbows, and Haruka frowned.

"You shouldn't smoke, Mother," she said, plucking the cigarette from her mother's fingertips and stubbing the orange tip out. "At least, not in the apartment."

"How can I _not_ smoke, when my son is missing?" She scribbled something and then pushed the paper towards Haruka. "Read this and tell me what you think."

"Missing: an eighteen year old boy, black hair, brown eyes, has a scar on right eyebrow. Goes by the name of Kasamatsu Hatori..." Haruka looked up to her mother. "Are you putting an ad in the paper for him?"

"Yes," her mother said.

"I thought Father wouldn't want anybody to know."

"The situation isn't getting any better, Haruka. You know that. It's been two months and he hasn't given us any clue as to where he is."

"What about the police?"

"Oh, they're giving it up." Her mother seemed oddly detached, as if she had been describing something banal like the weather. To reinforce this image, she added, "You'd better get dressed nicely today, your father has invited a few guests over. I think a boy your age might be coming."

"Business associates again? How boring," Haruka said, but she slipped into her room obediently. She knew the routine well by now; dress up, kiss up, and play nice.

She sank into her bed, breathing in the scent of sheet music she had been perusing from the night before. At least her father hadn't taken away her pocket allowance - a fact that she was both ashamed yet grateful for. The concerto her teacher had proposed she had to learn had three movements and was composed by an American. She had heard it before, but it was good to study the music before delving into the actual process of physical practicing.

It was a beautiful piece. A piece with warmth and soul. She sometimes wished her family could understand something like that, but it was a hopeless venture.

While the Barber Violin Concerto played on her stereo, she got dressed. She decided to go with a cream-colored dress - after all, she and Megumi had patched their friendship together. Black was too somber for today. An ivory headband completed the outfit, and she tried to smile genuinely in the mirror. It came out weak, and she sighed to herself.

The doorbell rang, which signalled her role to open the door and greet the guests. Her heels clicked smartly on the wooden floor, and she was in the middle of putting her best smile forward when what she saw shocked her.

It was Yukimura who she had seen first. She blinked once, and then twice - and then remembered what the hell she was supposed to be doing, and said in her cheeriest voice, "Welcome! We're so glad to have you over."

His father, a man who had similar eyes and a taller stature than his son, was the first to reply. "Oho, Seiichi, I didn't expect you to have such a pretty classmate."

"She's quite talented at the violin as well," the boy said mildly. "But thank you, Kasamatsu-san," he said, nodding to Haruka. She closed the door, wondering how he had known she was there when she had no idea.

Her parents had already came out, greeting Yukimura's father and two other business associates who had come along. Already she saw them retreat into the parlor for a short _aperatif_ before the dinner, and then the two of them were left alone in the front entrance.

"You have a beautiful home," Yukimura said warmly.

Haruka crossed her arms together, as if she was trying to defend herself. "Thanks, I guess."

"Congratulations on your recent competition," he said in his soft, gentle voice. "First prize winner at the individual concordes is very impressive."

She turned away. "It's nothing special." _Don't try to make me like you_, she thought to herself.

"I heard Atobe Keigo himself had entered himself as a piano player. It must have been a tough competition."

"Yes, well - you'll have to play more than Scarlatti to impress the judges," Haruka said. "He had good technique, and a decent interpretation, but there were many who surpassed him in terms of skill."

"Do you play the piano?"

"A little bit," she admitted. "But only because Father bought the Steinway when Mother married him. I prefer the violin."

And gradually Yukimura's eyes were drawn to the baby grand piano that stood in the parlor; the doors were closed as the adults were occupied. "Do any of your parents play music?"

"My mother used to play the piano. But not anymore. It's a bit frivolous, in her opinion."

"I wish I could play a musical instrument," Yukimura said thoughtfully. "If I hadn't discovered tennis, I might have turned out differently."

"You could play a triangle," Haruka suggested, and he bit back a laugh. "I'm serious. The percussion player is like, the highest paid member of the orchestra, aside from the conductor."

Yukimura smiled, and then walked over to the mahoghany cabinet, where the family portraits stood in their decorative frames."Is this your brother?" he asked, pointing to a photograph.

She picked up the frame. "Yes," she said slowly. It was a graduation picture. Her brother was standing in front of the school in his uniform, exuding a quiet strength that conveyed intelligence and charisma.

Hatori was tall and lovely, with hair the color of charcoal parted to one side. He was the image of the perfect student, quiet and unassuming, always polite to his elders and he held a deep respect for his teachers. Haruka continued to look at the photo, but her mind took her somewhere else.

There was another photo that she kept in her room. In her mind, she saw the picture of her brother and her laughing at something - a moment frozen in time, immortalized by the snap of the shutter - and then, she felt it. There it was: a familiar pang in her chest. The photo had been placed downward, hidden away in a bottom drawer so she wouldn't have to see it.

_"I'm sure you could be a professional musician if you wanted to, Haruka."_  
><em>"You think so?"<em>  
><em>"I know so."<em>

That calm, unwavering faith in the person she was and what she could've become - she missed it terribly. If he hadn't left -

"Kasamatsu-san?"

She blinked to find herself standing next to Yukimura. "Are you alright?"

"Ah - " Haruka was still holding the picture frame. "I'm sorry. How long did I... "

"Not long," he reassured her. "You did seem a bit sad, though."

"Was I?" One of her eyebrows were lifted, and she was about to say more before her mother entered the room to tell the two that dinner was ready.

It was a candlelit affair. As soon as the guests were seated, Yukimura's father addressed her with a glance of his bright blue eyes. "My son tells me you sit next to him in class."

Haruka mustered a quick smile. "Yes, that's true."

"He's quite impressed with your musical talent."

"It's a silly hobby," her father interjected, pushing his glasses up. "Haruka needs to do something more tangible, like your son. It's impressive that he's held the title of Number 1 All Japan Junior Representative in the nation for two years straight. Now _that_ takes determination and guts."

At this, Yukimura remembered something Haruka had told him earlier.

_"My mother used to play the piano. But not anymore. It's a bit frivolous, in her opinion."_

If Haruka was angered by this reaction, she didn't show it. She smiled politely, sipped her glass, and listened as her father switched the conversation over to the stock market and business-related topics. But not once did her smile falter throughout the meal.

_Admirable_, Yukimura noted to himself as he slowly made his way through dinner. _It reminds me of the time where I had to pretend to be strong for the team. It reminds me of the time when I was sick, and no one understood what I went through._

Near the end of the meal, he dabbed his mouth with a cloth napkin, and said, "Pardon me, but I'll be stepping out for a bit of fresh air." He bowed slightly to all of the adults, but then he put his hand on Haruka's shoulder. "Would you care to join me?"

"Oh - well - "

She caught the eye of her father, who had given her an imperceptible nod. _Go if you must._

"Yes, I'd love to." Not with Yukimura, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

The atmosphere was becoming suffocating for her. She had to get out, before she started throwing dishes everywhere, God help her when she had reached that stage.

And she had to give Yukimura the credit where it was due, even if it was a sting on her pride. She led him to the balcony, a place happily far away from the dining table.

"Thanks," she said grudgingly.

"You're welcome," he said, smiling, but it was more of a smile of pity than anything else. "How do you it?"

"Practice," she said. "My brother was much better at faking it. My parents practically groomed him into thinking he was going to be a doctor when he entered middle school."

"And what expectations do they have for you?"

"The same, but I think they'd equally like to see me fail." she said. Her hand was still holding a glass of sparkling cider. Snorting to herself, she poured the rest into a nearby potted plant and set the glass on the rail.

"I envy you sometimes, Yukimura-san. You're planning to become a professional tennis player, right?"

"Yes," he said. "But my parents also put stipulations. I still have to take university entrance exams, in case I get a change of heart, whatever that means." He didn't add that there was the minimal possibility of suffering another relapse, because it was a minor detail in his opinion.

Haruka gave him a wry smile. "At least you have your parents' consent. Mine don't really understand how important it is to me, and I don't think they want to."

"Mine didn't either, until I gambled my life on a fifty-fifty chance," Yukimura admitted.

"How - how did that happen?"

"The doctors gave me a choice when I was sick. I could languish away until I died, or I could go through the surgery and finally be able to play tennis. I chose to go with it."

Yukimura paused before he added, "You have to prove to them that your life is worth living the way you want it to."

"You make it sound so easy," she said, and suddenly she was angry.

Who was this person?

And really, what did he know?

She curtly informed him what was on her mind. "You don't know who I am, or what I do. Who are you to judge me, or to be condescending - "

"Oh, Haruka! There you were!"

The two turned to see Haruka's mother, and Haruka could not look her in the eye, not especially when she was filled with vitriol. _I hate him_, she thought with a fiery vengeance.

"Join us for dessert? I made tiramisu."

"Thank you, but I'll decline, Kasamatsu-san." It was Yukimura who answered for both for them, and she hated it.

He had made sure her mother was gone before he resumed the conversation.

"Haruka, listen, I was thinking that maybe - "

"Don't call me that," she said coldly. "Please don't ever talk to me again, Yukimura-san."

_Don't make a mess out of my life, and don't interfere in things that you have no idea about. I've never liked you, and I never will._

-x-

Yanagi held the velvet box in his hand, suspicious of what was in it. Yet curiosity kicked in, and he asked, "What is this?"

"It's your late birthday present," Yukimura said, filling out the paperwork for the tennis club. "Open it."

"Seiichi..."

"You were right; I had no idea what it was like for my attentions to be spurned. Consider this as an apology."

"This isn't necessary."

"Don't make me throw it in the trash," Yukimura said mildly, continuing to write.

With deft fingers, Yanagi lifted the pen out of the box. "It's nice," he admitted reluctantly. "Thank you."

"Ah, Renji. Slow to anger, slow to forgive," Yukimura remarked. "It's a good thing Akaya looks up to you; he could learn something from you."

-x-

It pissed her off that he had just said, "If you say so, Kasamatsu." As if he had expected that, as if he knew the power he held over her.

She woke up angry, and breakfast had done her no better to improve her mood.

Her father was reading the newspaper when she had sat down.

"That son of Yukimura's is really something," he said, ostensibly to his wife, but he glanced at Haruka. Haruka knew what he was thinking - she was useless. He had given her that look before, especially when he used to compare rankings between her brother and her own.

"Yes, he was absolutely _charming_," her mother said. "Very friendly. You don't meet boys like that everyday."

"He's obnoxious," Haruka muttered darkly, buttering her toast.

"Haruka, you would do well to associate with him," her father said, sipping his coffee. "He reminds me of your brother."

"Yukimura is _nothing_ like Hatori," Haruka said. "He thinks he can do whatever he pleases just because he can, and there'll be no consequences for him. The world is handed to him on a platter."

Her mother exchanged an uneasy glance with her father. "Dear, don't you think you're being a little harsh on him?"

"_No_," Haruka said defensively. She folded the slice of bread in half and stuck it in her mouth. "I'll be leaving now. Thanks for the meal."

As she made her way down to ground level, she met Megumi, who had been waiting for her.

"Bad night?" she guessed.

Haruka nodded. Then shook her head. "Kind of. Well, not really. Yukimura visited us last night."

She saw the conflict in Megumi's eyes. There was a flash of envy and the simultaneous desire to ignore her feelings to preserve a friendship.

"What happened?"

"Nothing; Yukimura is all yours. I wouldn't _touch_ him with a six-foot-pole," Haruka said with a savage vindictiveness.

"He's not all bad," Megumi said, still a little stung by Haruka's accusation. "Although... I guess you would know more than I would..."

They took the familiar route of walking on the sidewalk near the ocean. Slowly but surely, her mood began to improve by the sun and the fresh air. Haruka was almost sorry to see the school come into view.

She had already resolved not to look once at the tennis courts before a tall and willowy boy walked up to them.

Surprisingly, it was Megumi who talked first. "Yanagi-san! Why aren't you at morning practice today?"

"I was; Yukimura let me out early because I'm not playing in today's tournament." He gave a nod of acknowledgement to Haruka, and then said, "See you in class," to Megumi.

Haruka blinked, and then looked at Megumi. And bonked her on the head.

"Ow! Haruka, what was that for?"

"There's something you're not telling me."

"Okay okay, we agreed to be friends. That's all. And I also found his cat."

"Megumi, that's a stupid idea. Why didn't you ignore him for the rest of the year?"

"Because he's a nice person! And I feel... well, kind of guilty."

"This isn't going to solve anything - you're prolonging his pain."

"But _Haruka_," Megumi said, eyes big and wide and totally not adorable at all, "he's a nice person. And I'm kind of a nice person. I'm not going to rub it in or anything or use it to my advantage."

"Do what you like," Haruka said, sighing. "Don't come crying to me when you discover you actually like him and he doesn't like you anymore."

Megumi scowled. "That's not going to happen."

"I was just saying - "

"You're so pessimistic."

"Maybe I'm being realistic," Haruka said, and she smiled. "We still friends?"

Megumi rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure. See you round lunch break?"

"Of course."

-x-

Being on the Rikkaidai tennis team had advantages, Yanagi thought to himself as he instructed several of the non-regulars to keep several of the videocameras on hold all around the court. Their school always hosted the District tournament because their courts were the best in the area. It was always an advantage to compete on their home turf.

He hadn't expected an old friend to turn up, though.

"Renji," a tall and bespectacled boy greeted him, green notebook in one hand. "Nice to see you."

"Likewise, Sadaharu," he replied. "A bit early for you to be here, isn't it?"

"Perhaps," his friend admitted. "I was especially surprised to hear you wouldn't be playing today."

Yanagi allowed himself one wry smile. "Tactical advantage. I'm better collecting information than being preoccupied with a match."

Inui wasn't satisfied with this explanation. "Yukimura generally prefers to remain a bystander, even for the preliminary matches of the Kantou Tournament. You generally play Singles 3 or Doubles 2, depending on whether Kirihara has proved himself worthy of competing."

As usual, his data was impeccable. Yanagi had to give him that once in a while, even if he was a pain in the ass sometimes.

"Well reasoned, Sadaharu. But Yukimura still put me on hold. I suppose my value to the team increases every day."

Inui pushed up his glasses. "Was there a team conflict?"

"No; I hold no resentment over the decision."

"Sixty-five percent chance of you lying - oh wait, seventy. You swallow whenever you lie to others."

"I do?" Yanagi instinctively put his hand over his neck. "I didn't know that."

"The last time Rikkaidai lost, it was due to internal tensions. Don't make the same mistake," Inui said.

"I'm well aware," Yanagi said wryly. "Or are you perhaps seeking to damage the team from within? Because it won't happen, I assure you."

"I wouldn't be so audacious to assume that I would have the capabilities to inflict tangible damage, but... " Inui grinned. "I still can't believe you thought Seigaku enjoyed my juices."

Yanagi sighed. "That was two years ago. I know better than that."

"I do have a nice batch of Aozu, though... "

"That's fine, Sadaharu. Anyways, the first match is going to start in fifteen minutes, and I have to get going. Perhaps we can verbally debate on who is going to win Nationals after we take the Districts title."

"I would like that," Inui said. "The tournament should be over in four hours and thirty-five minutes."

"Forty minutes," Yanagi corrected.

"I suppose you could be right, but I was expecting Rikkaidai to make a clean sweep."

It wasn't flattery - Inui didn't have enough subtlety to be capable of delivering flattery the way Yukimura did - but Yanagi appreciated it, all the same.

"I'll see you later, _kyouju_."

"Likewise, _hakase_."

* * *

><p>an: Fun fact - kyouju means professor and hakase means doctor. ;D

Update: for Yukimura's girlfriend, I'm thinking the name "Shoko" is very pretty.

As always, please review! This chapter isn't overly remarkable, but I quite like it.


	12. the choices of life

**a/n**: Oh, Yukimura, Yukimura, I'm starting to like you much better than when I started writing this story. This chapter is a little inspired by Mitsukai20's "Absolute".

* * *

><p><strong>Last Chance<strong>

12. the choices of life

There had been a time, Yanagi remembered, when the "yips" had never existed. Before then, Yukimura was merely a skilled player, only a few shades better than Sanada himself.

When they were both first-years in middle school, they had seen first-hand the deliberateness of their captain as he crushed their opponent to the ground, lying limp and without any desire to get up again. They had been innocent.

"This is wrong!" Yukimura said in anguish, and he had actually leaped out of the bleachers to confront the captain. "You can't do this to him!"

Privately, Yanagi had agreed, but neither he nor Sanada had been so open with their feelings, especially not in public.

"Yukimura - "

"Look at him!" Yukimura pointed a shaking finger at the boy lying on the other side of the net. "He'll never play tennis again! He'll never compete, because he'll always see YOU, and he'll be afraid of himself! How can you call yourself a tennis player when you hurt other people?"

The captain had only looked at him sorrowfully, as if he was weary of the burden placed upon his shoulders. The team was silent.

"Do you know what it means to be part of the Rikkaidai tennis team?"

Yukimura had only stood there, eyes hardened by outrage. He didn't answer.

"There is no room for failure. The weak will die, and the strong will live. That is how we win."

"But is it necessary to destroy his will?" Yukimura asked, eyes as sharp as steel.

"It is not enough that I win," his captain said softly, and his eyes understood. "I can't let him repeat what he has done today. I can't be compassionate towards someone who threatens our victory."

"You're wrong," Yukimura said. The next day he didn't show up for practice.

The captain hadn't said a word about him the day he was absent, but he had asked Yanagi the address of his home. And then, Yukimura came back a different person. From that day on, he condoned the jeers, the psychological games that the tennis team played, and the practice of mentally breaking their opponents.

At first, Yanagi saw that Yukimura had to restrain himself. Initially, he had been the kindest boy in school. It was hurting him to be a spectator of such things, and the second tournament matches had gone no better. He could easily see that Yukimura was trembling when he stood and watched the matches, but it wasn't from fear. It was anger at his involvement in all of this - the team, the cruelty, the invincibility of the iron law.

But eventually, Yukimura changed, as with all three of them. Soon they all turned thirteen; they became adolescents, thirsty for victories and to be the very best. The iron law became necessary after the Kantou Tournament. After tasting their first victory at Nationals, they couldn't have gone back from it all.

Yanagi had often thought the yips had emerged from Yukimura's desire to control things - it had been particularly powerful after he had recovered from the Guillain-Barre syndrome. Suddenly, kind smiles turned into cold glares and the satisfaction after winning became obsolete; now it was a routine to be expected.

Sanada was the one who adapted the best: his rigid upbringing served him well when it came to sheer determination and focus. As for Yanagi, his reliance on data allowed him to acheive a modicum of success above the other regulars. None of them could have afforded to feel guilty about what they were doing - after all, a victory was a victory.

Still - there was the occasional doubt in all three of them, even if two of them might have denied it. Yanagi never did so; he wrote his fears down as soon as he could, analyzing the whys and the hows and the whens.

In this regard, this was why he thought he was the least complicated out of all the Three Demons.

-x-

This was what Yanagi was thinking when he was standing next to his captain. His eyes were closed, and he was taller than Yukimura, but yet, the boy could still sense him better than anybody else.

"What do you think, Renji?" Yukimura asked. "Do you think anyone could give us a run for our money?"

"No," Yanagi replied. It was blunt, but the truth regardless. In the corner of his eye, he saw Inui scribbing something in his green notebook, and he smiled to himself. "Seiren High looks much better than usual, however. They must have had new recruits."

"Oh?" A twinkle came in Yukimura's eyes. "Perhaps I should go take care of them."

"Not the yips, surely."

"No, not anymore, but they seem to be bragging a little bit. Oh, and I spy a freshmen rookie over there with a team jacket..."

"He's no Echizen Ryoma," Yanagi said dismissively. "I take it you still hold a grudge?"

"What, me? No, never." Yukimura's face was one of complete innocence.

The students were beginning to mill around, and the cheerleaders came out with their flags and banners. While none of the Troika actually liked the cheering and the noise of an audience, they tolerated it for the ego boost of the others. Marui for one thrived off of the attention of others.

"Oh look, there's Kurosawa-san. She looks rather pretty in that yellow headband," Yukimura said, too nonchalantly for it to be real.

Yanagi focused on a spot on the court. Hmm, it looked as if one of the cameras wasn't in position. He ought to go fix it -

"And where are you going, Renji-kun?" Yukimura pulled the back of his jersey, smiling in a way that Yanagi would have deemed as sadistic.

_Calculating chance of escaping his interrogations: 0%._

"That camera isn't held right by that freshmen," Yanagi said weakly.

"Oh, well." Yukimura looked unapologetic. "Niou! Tell Urayama-san to use a tripod."

"Okay, buchou." The other boy walked off.

"So, did anything of interest happen between you and her?"

"People are listening," Yanagi said, glaring at Yukimura. "Spare me, Seiichi."

"Fine, but you owe me one. And this is why: I planted a seed in her mind, and whenever she thinks of me - " and here he tapped Yanagi's head with his finger - "She'll think of you."

"Ridiculous," Yanagi mumbled. "My odds are astronomically low."

"Well, didn't Inui-san say data can be changed?"

"What do you mean?"

"I lied," Yukimura admitted cheerfully. "I really put you in Singles 3," Yukimura said, showing him the roster.

"EH?"

-x-

"Aahchoo!"

"Bless you, Megumi, are you catching something?"

"No. Someone must have been talking about me, I think." She rubbed her nose.

She glanced over to the captain's bench, a court's width across. Yukimura was standing next to Yanagi, and seeing this, she unconsciously she put her fingers on her lips.

She remembered it very clearly: his eyelashes were fluttering against her cheek. The rain on his skin, the wet strands of auburn hair against her forehead. His lips had been hesitant, but -

"Oh god," she mumbled to herself, burying her face in her hands. It always had to come at an inopportune time - that awkward drop in her stomach when she started to remember that darn kiss, the one that shouldn't have mattered at all but did.

His lips had been hesitant, but he'd been testing her reaction.

She had been shocked, to say the least. This was a soft-spoken, reticent boy who rarely exhibited what he was thinking. To extend that vulnerability to someone like her... Why? What was there for him to like, anyway?

"Megumi, are you sure you aren't down with a cold?" One of her friends looked at her with concern. "You're red as a beet."

"I'm fine," Megumi said. "I really am."

"Well then, come on! Let's cheer for the first match!" And her friend grasped her hand, pulled her to her feet and handed her a flag.

"Altogether, now! Go, go, Rikkaidai! Let's go, let's go Rikkaidai!"

-x-

Yanagi sighed as he rapped his knuckles on his racket to make sure his strings were taut enough to play. He unzipped his jersey, draped it over the bench, and opened his eyes.

Damn that Yukimura Seiichi. Damn him for outsmarting Yanagi Renji.

"Which?"

"Smooth," his opponent replied nervously. As well he should be, thought Yanagi. He spun his racket.

"Oh, what do you know." Yanagi commented sardonically. "Unfortunately for you, it's rough."

His opponent looked petrified; inside, Yanagi was almost delighted in a way. This match would be relatively painless for him, but he couldn't say the same for his opponent, especially if he had the psychological advantage first.

He hit a bullet serve first. As Yukimura hadn't set any requirements for him, he assumed that he was allowed to be as flashy as he wanted.

His opponent, to his credit, had returned the serve.

But - it was weak. Instinctively, Yanagi already knew the energy used and the inertia behind the ball, and he automatically moved to meet it. A clean forehand to a corner secured him the point.

"15-love!"

He served again, and this time, he added a little special something to it. The ball hit the ground, and then spun backwards in the direction of the net.

"Oh! Look, it's Yanagi-senpai's Kamataichi!" The crowd's cheers grew louder and more excited.

He looked at the crowd for a few moments. _Are you watching, Kurosawa? Or are your eyes fixed on Yukimura?_

-x-

She ducked her head as soon as his head turned.

"Megumi, what's wrong? We have to cheer him on - "

"I'm leaving!" she declared, untying her yellow headband and stuffing it into her bag. "I just remembered - I have to do something at home."

"Aww, but don't you want to see Yukimura-san play?"

"He's not playing! Yanagi-san is going to win the match, and that's how it will be for the other schools after that!"

"Well - okay, Megumi. See you then."

"See you," she said, and then making particular care not to be seen, she walked out of the courts.

_Why do I feel confused all of a sudden?_ she thought to herself, frowning as she stared at nothing in particular. She was walking and didn't pay attention, until she bumped into a very tall person.

"Ah - " She looked up to see a boy with spiky black hair and rectangular shaped glasses. He was very tall. Was he taller than Yanagi?

"I'm so sorry!" she shouted, flustered. She bowed deeply and then looked up. "Please forgive me!"

"That's fine. Is Renji playing over there?"

"Um, yes." Recognizing the use of his first name, she hesitantly asked, "Do you know Yanagi-san well?"

The boy nodded. "Do you?"

"Well - " _If you mean I kissed him two days ago, I suppose then yes, I know him._ "He's a friend and a classmate."

"I see.. Oh, how rude of me, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Inui. And yours?"

"Kurosawa," she replied, a little nervous. "Nice to meet you."

"Any friend of Renji's is a friend of mine, unless they're an opponent." He pushed up his glasses. "I would love to talk more, but I have a match to watch."

Megumi watched him walk away. He had been really scary - but he held a notebook just like Yanagi did. She vaguely recalled him at one of Rikkaidai's matches a year ago - how much did he have in common with Yanagi, anyway?

She shook her head. She had to go home. This was all getting too confusing.

-x-

Her father had found out about the newspaper ad for his missing son. Petrified, Haruka locked the door to her room - she had no desire to become involved in the inevitable conflict that was sure to take place between him and her mother. She muffled her ears with her blankets, filled with dread.

And then the screams came; the accusations flew every which way and she, for all she tried, still heard them.

_"You goddamn bitch! Why the hell would you publicize that our son is a college dropout?"_

_"It's for our son, Shuichiro! Do you not care if he comes home? Are you going to pretend that he's going to come home sometime and that we should never go looking for him?"_

_"Let the bloody police do their job!"_

_"The police have already quit looking for him!"_ Her mother's voice was shrill and panicky, and at this Haruka screwed her eyes, trying to shut it all out -

_"It's your fault! You're a failure as a mother! You're the ones who raised them, where I was at my desk working, earning a living for all of them!"_

_"My fault? Who's the one who heaped all those expectations on him? He hated attending all your dinner parties, he hated dealing with all your bullshit!"_

_"Shut UP!_" There was a sound of a smashed plate. _"I should have never married you! You goddamn whore, I knew you were a useless woman when I saw my son bandaged in the hospital and it was **your** fault."_

_"You bastard - you can't even look at your children and tell them you love them! You'd sell your own children to pretend you're one hell of a person - you egotistical piece of shit!"_

Stop it, Haruka pleaded in her mind, blanket over her head. Tears silently fell down her cheeks.

Her father's voice was determinedly calm, a sign of danger. _"I don't need to tell them that I love them - that's not my job. My job is to provide for them. Your job, on the other hand - "_

Her mother let out a harsh cry of laughter. _"Oh that's rich, coming from a bastard like you. You don't even know what Haruka wants to be, do you?"_

_"She's going to be a doctor, and that's final."_

_"Do you even know what Hatori wanted to be? Tell me that - because you don't have a clue about anything. You sick, insecure, little man - "_

They continued like this for a few more minutes before something happened. Haruka could hear a few footsteps nearing her bedroom, and her heart went into overdrive. Her father rapped on the door. _"Haruka, come out right now."_

Her breaths came out in short bursts. No, she thought to herself. No, I will not come out for you.

_"Come out right now!"_

No, she repeated to herself weakly. I can't. I can't be involved in this.

_"Get OUT!" _Now he was beginning to bang on the door with a ferocity that she thought would never stop.

Then the telephone rang. Her mother was softly replying into the phone, and when she had put it down, she said in a curiously flat voice - "The neighbors were complaining about the noise."

She heard a slap, and then there was a distinct thud. A pair of footsteps stomped away and Haruka could hear the slam of a door.

Cautiously, she turned the knob, only to see her mother slumped on the floor.

"Mother!" Her feet carried her quickly to the side of the woman, who was groaning. "Are you all right?"

And to her surprise, the woman pushed her away. "Get away from me, you silly child. Why aren't you in bed?"

"I was - " Haruka was helpless before those cruel, unsympathetic eyes. "I couldn't sleep. You were so loud..."

"Go to bed," her mother said, and her eyes were cross. Her mouth was puckered as if she had eaten something sour.

When Haruka returned to her room, she did not go to sleep. She slipped on her headphones and stared out of the windows, until the dawn broke out and the sun was a sliver on the horizon. Then she got ready for school.

-x-

Tokyo was a different place than Kanagawa. She had lived most if not all of her life near the proximity on the coast, and so she was awed by the big city; she loved the modernity and the hustle and bustle of the streets. She walked for two blocks until she reached an apartment complex, and she climbed up the stairs until she reached the correct floor.

She entered her mentor's studio quietly. The door was always open.

Always she had a fear of it locked. It happened once, when she was a minute late.

"Do you think they will let you play at the concert if you are a minute late?" her teacher thundered after she had knocked futilely.

"No, sensei, but - "

"Next week! No exceptions," her teacher said through the door. "Now leave."

Her teacher made the rules. She could never bend nor break them.

Today, however, she was on time - the train to Tokyo had no accidents, a fact that she was most grateful for. She walked a few blocks, her instrument on her back, walked up the stairs to his tiny studio apartment, and there she was.

Here was her hopes and dreams centered on a old man.

He was smoking a cigarette, just like her orchestra conductor in school. The smell for her was soothing for some reason or another.

"Well?" he asked impatiently. "Let's hear that Barber concerto."

She unzipped her case, and took out a full sized, amber-golden violin. It was an Amati, ludicrously expensive and something she could only have possessed if it weren't for a scholarship deeming her worthy of a loan. After that, she took out her bow; her hand twisted the nut to tighten the hair, finally rubbing some rosin on it.

Then she began to play.

She always felt that whenever she played in front of her teacher, she was baring her soul. Every mistake was magnified, but when he smiled, it made the world shine brighter. His approval was something she thirsted for, and it was rarer than water in the desert.

Haruka had only been playing for a minute when he held his hand up.

She stopped. "Sensei?"

"You are distracted," his deep voice rumbled. He stubbed his cigarette in his ash tray. "Kasamatsu, why are you here?"

"To make beautiful music, sensei."

"In order to do that, you have to leave your problems at the door."

"Yes sir."

"To fill something intangible with beauty, it requires concentration and focus. You have neither at the moment."

"Then I will try harder."

"No. Come back tomorrow." He stood up from his chair and opened the glass door. "Please resolve your problems before we meet again."

She reluctantly packed her instrument, slid the straps on her back, and headed out. Discouraged, she walked down the steps. There was nothing to do except to take the usual route home.

The trains were crowded, and the commute from Tokyo to the Kanagawa prefecture was an hour and a half away on the bullet train. Haruka managed to find a spot before the doors closed.

"Ah. So we meet again," someone said.

She turned her head to see Yukimura standing next to her, book in hand. Instantly a sour grimace appeared on her face.

"I'm sorry, but could you not talk to me please?"

He only smiled, making his way near her. "I never meant to be condescending that night. I'm very sorry for being so presumptuous."

She looked away. "Why do you want to help me? All I want is to get out of here and leave this place."

He didn't answer; instead, he reached down to pull something from his tennis bag. It was a newspaper. He flipped to the classified section.

"I saw the segment about your brother. I'm sorry he's missing."

She still didn't look at him; the window was more interesting.

"Kasamatsu, I didn't mean to offend you. It's just that I feel that I'm always the bad guy, and I have to fix that."

"Why do you care what I think, anyway?" Haruka said. "You're the Child of God. You have people who care for you, you've got a team, you have a family that's proud of what you've done. Why me?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "Maybe it's because I like a challenge."

"Then maybe you should quit."

"I never back down from that kind of thing. You're stubborn just like me. I guess that's why we have to stick together."

"Stop it," Haruka said, and now she was getting upset. "I don't need your help, and I can do things on my own. I don't manipulate others to help them."

"It's a way of solving problems," he said calmly. "You can't be entirely truthful to get something that you want."

"With a philosophy like that, how can I trust you?" she asked.

He looked at her, considering. "You just have to."

The train was stopping, and he was about to head out before he told her, "Come with me. I'll show you something."

"What if I refuse?"

His eyes were twinkling. "If there's one thing I've learned about you, it's that you're always curious to know what's going on."

"Then... where are we going?"

"A place where I make amends," he said. "Shall we go?"

-x-

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><p>an: Thanks to all the guys who reviewed! You are the best sorts of people. :) Keep in mind that the story really is influenced by what you have to say - people have made interesting suggestions and points. Again, drop a word off - I'd really appreciate it.


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